                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

DEFINITIONS (§ 51.5-40.1)

As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different
meaning:		&#8220;Hearing dog&#8221; means a dog trained to alert its owner by
touch to sounds of danger and sounds to which the owner should
respond.		&#8220;Mental impairment&#8221; means (i) a disability attributable to
intellectual disability, autism, or any other neurological disability closely
related to intellectual disability and requiring treatment similar to that
required by individuals with intellectual disability or (ii) an organic or
mental impairment that has substantial adverse effects on an individual&#8217;s
cognitive or volitional functions, including central nervous system disorders or
significant discrepancies among mental functions of an
individual.		&#8220;Mobility-impaired person&#8221; means any person who (i) is
unable to move about without the aid of crutches, a wheelchair, or any other
form of support or (ii) has limited functional ability to ambulate, climb,
descend, sit, rise, or perform any related function.		&#8220;Otherwise disabled
person&#8221; means any person who has a physical, sensory, intellectual,
developmental, or mental disability or a mental illness.		&#8220;Path of
travel&#8221; means a continuous, unobstructed way of pedestrian passage by
means of which an altered area, meaning an area of a facility that has undergone
an alteration that affects or could affect the usability of or access to such
area of a facility that contains a primary function for which the facility is
intended and the restrooms, telephones, and drinking fountains serving the
altered area, may be approached, entered, and exited, and that connects an
altered area with an exterior approach, including sidewalks, streets, and
parking areas, an entrance to the facility, and other parts of the
facility.		&#8220;Person with a disability&#8221; means any person who has a
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his major
life activities or who has a record of such impairment.		&#8220;Physical
impairment&#8221; means any physical condition, anatomic loss, or cosmetic
disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect, or
illness.		&#8220;Place of public accommodation&#8221; means a facility that a
private entity owns, leases or leases to, or operates and whose operations
affect commerce.		&#8220;Private entity&#8221; means any entity other than a
public entity.		&#8220;Public entity&#8221; means:

1. Any state or local government;

2. Any department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of
a state or local government; and

3. Any commuter authority.
			&#8220;Readily achievable&#8221; means easily accomplishable and able to be
carried out without much difficulty or expense.			&#8220;Service dog&#8221;
means a dog trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a
mobility-impaired or otherwise disabled person. The work or tasks performed by a
service dog shall be directly related to the individual&#8217;s disability or
disorder. Examples of work or tasks include providing nonviolent protection or
rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure,
alerting an individual to the presence of allergens, retrieving items, carrying
items, providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability, and
preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors. The provision of
emotional support, well-being, comfort, or companionship shall not constitute
work or tasks for the purposes of this definition.			&#8220;Three-unit service
dog team&#8221; means a team consisting of a trained service dog, a person with
a disability, and a person who is an adult and who has been trained to handle
the service dog.

HISTORY: 2012, cc. 476, 507, 803, 835; 2014, c. 616; 2023, cc. 148, 149, 513;
2024, c. 648.