Category Two: Is the individual a person with a record of a disability?
The second category of people who are protected from discrimination under Federal disability nondiscrimination laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, are people who have a record of a past disability, but who have recovered from, or who no longer have, that disability. This aspect of the law reflects the desire of Congress and the Executive Branch to protect such people — such as cancer survivors — from the effects of unfounded fears and unfair stereotypes that may be associated with their past impairments (e.g. fear that the condition will reoccur and that the person will miss a lot of work).
