Definitions of "Disability"
"
Disability" under Social Security is based on your inability to work. We consider you disabled under Social Security rules if:
* You cannot do work that you did before;
* We decide that you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition(s); and
* Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death.
http://www.ssa.gov/dibplan/dqualify4.htm
(BELOW IS FOR CALIFORNIA - LAW VARIES FROM STATE TO STATE)
Who qualifies for a
Disabled Person (DP) Parking Placard or DP License Plates:
You can get a DP placard or DP plates if you have impaired mobility and a licensed physician, surgeon, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife certifies your condition. You may also qualify if any of the following conditions exist:
* Heart or circulatory disease.
* Lung disease.
* A diagnosed disease or disorder that significantly limits the use of lower extremities.
* Specific, documented visual problems, including low-vision or partial-sightedness.
* The loss, or loss of the use, of one or both lower extremities or both hands.
NOTE: You do not need a medical professional’s certification if:
* You have lost a lower extremity or both hands, and you appear in person at a local DMV office.
* You currently have a California Disabled Person (DP) Placard, or Disabled Person (DP) or Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates assigned to your vehicle, and the license plate number is entered in part “B” of the Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates form (REG 195).
Who can get
Disabled Veteran (DV) License Plates
A veteran who, as a result of an injury or disease that occurred while on active service with the U.S. Armed Forces, qualifies if any of the following apply:
* Has a disability rated at 100 percent by the U.S. Veterans Affairs or the military service that discharged the veteran due to a diagnosed disease or disorder that substantially impairs or interferes with mobility.
* Is so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of an assistant device.
* Has lost, or lost the use of, one or more limbs.
* Is permanently blind, as defined in §19153 of the Welfare Institution Code.
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr07.htm
A
disability, under Federal disability discrimination law, is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities (for example, caring for one's self, speaking, breathing, or learning). A disability need not be obvious; such conditions as learning disabilities, psychological illnesses, asthma, or infection with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) may qualify as disabilities under the law.
http://www.dol.gov/wb/faq8.htm