An employee's inability to carry out a work activity that is common to a range of industries is enough to qualify as disabled.

To qualify as disability, an impairment must affect normal day-to-day activities. The EAT has decided that activities solely carried out at work can satisfy this test, but only where they are common across a range of industries (such as the requirement to walk around during night-shifts).

Inability to carry out specialist skills will not be sufficient to amount to a protected disability, even if such a skill is normal within the particular industry. (Chief Constable of Dumfries & Galloway Constabulary v Adams, EAT)