Understanding major life activities under the ADA: why running a business isn’t one

Here’s a quick, down-to-earth look at one idea that pops up a lot when you’re studying housing rights: what exactly counts as a major life activity? You’ll see it in many scenarios, from how a tenant asks for an accommodation to how a landlord evaluates accessibility needs. And yes, there’s a little quiz baked in, because clarity sticks when you test your understanding in plain language.

Which of the following is NOT considered a major life activity?

A. Listening

B. Working

C. Running a business

D. Breathing

The right answer is: Running a business. Let me explain why, and how this matters in daily life—especially when it comes to housing and disability protections.

What exactly is a “major life activity”?

Think of major life activities as the big, everyday functions that keep someone living independently and engaging with the world. They’re not about hobbies or tasks you do for a job; they’re about basic abilities that appear in day-to-day life. Under laws like the ADA, these activities help determine who qualifies as having a disability and who may need reasonable accommodations.

In the context you’ll often encounter, listening, working, and breathing are named as major life activities. Listening ties into communication access—think about how a person with a hearing impairment might rely on devices, captioning, or other supports to participate in conversations or access information. Breathing is a fundamental bodily function, central to health and daily stamina. Working covers the ability to hold a job or perform job-related tasks, which often intersects with housing needs—like the capacity to commute, manage a home office, or participate in community programs.

Running a business, on the other hand, is not listed as a major life activity in the same way. It’s a specific activity that many people pursue. It can be deeply meaningful and complex, yes, but it’s an application of several major life activities rather than a fundamental living function itself. That distinction matters because disability protections focus on the core abilities people need to live their lives, not on specific career or business endeavors.

Why this distinction matters for housing and rights

You might wonder, “So what?” Here’s the bridge to housing. Disability protections in housing and related services are built on the idea that people should be able to live, move, communicate, and care for themselves with dignity. When a housing provider understands which activities are considered major life activities, they can better assess whether an accommodation is reasonable and needed.

• Accessibility isn’t just about ramps. It’s about removing barriers that affect major life activities. If a tenant has a breathing condition, for instance, a building’s ventilation, air quality, and odor control can influence their ability to live comfortably. If someone has a hearing impairment, accessible communications become essential to participate in community meetings, receive important notices, or engage with neighbors.

• Reasonable accommodations are about removing barriers that affect fundamental living functions. A request to install visual doorbells for someone who relies on sight cues—or a modification to create a quieter living space for someone with a sensory processing difference—falls under supporting major life activities, not just flavor of comfort.

• Discrimination protections hinge on how a disability is defined. When a person’s ability to perform major life activities is impeded, with or without assistive devices, that person can be protected from unfair treatment. This isn’t about judging someone’s career ambitions; it’s about ensuring they can live with independence and participate in the community.

A few practical examples you’ll encounter

Let’s connect the dots with everyday situations—real-life stakes that show why this topic matters beyond a test or a classroom example.

• Hearing and communication: Suppose a tenant uses hearing aids or a relay service to participate in conversations, receive emergency alerts, and access community notices. In a fair housing scenario, landlords or property managers might need to ensure clear emergency communications, provide captioning in common areas, or allow for other assistive technologies. These accommodations directly support the major life activity of listening (in the ADA-sense of communicating and engaging with others).

• Breathing and environment: If someone has a chronic respiratory condition, the living environment matters. Adequate air circulation, non-toxic building materials, and control over dust and fumes aren’t cosmetic touches—they’re about maintaining a basic life function. In practice, this could mean clean air policies in common spaces or the option to relocate to a unit with better ventilation.

• Working and independence: A resident who works from home relies on a suitable workspace, reliable power and internet, and accessible common areas to meet clients or colleagues. Housing providers who understand that “working” is part of daily life may offer flexible scheduling for maintenance, clearer pathways to the mailroom, or accessible common rooms that support professional needs.

Mild digressions that still matter

If you track the threads, housing fairness isn’t just about rules; it’s about how daily life actually breathes. We often talk in terms of “reasonable accommodations” and “accessible design,” but those phrases gain real weight when you consider major life activities. It’s the difference between a building that is merely compliant and a place that genuinely supports someone’s ability to live with dignity.

Let me explain with a small analogy. Imagine a three-legged stool: each leg represents a core life function. If one leg wobbles because of a disability, the whole stool can topple. The people who manage housing know the job isn’t just about adding a fancy feature; it’s about ensuring every leg is stable enough to keep the stool upright. That’s why the focus is on those fundamental activities—listening, breathing, working—not on every possible task someone might do.

Translating the idea into everyday housing decisions

Here are a few phrases you’ll hear in practice, and they gel once you remember the major life activity lens:

• “Will this accommodation remove a barrier to a major life activity?” If yes, it’s on the table.

• “Is the proposed change reasonable for the landlord and feasible for the property?” If yes, it’s worth pursuing.

• “Does the request impact the resident’s ability to live independently or participate in the community?” If yes, it likely matters under disability protections.

You don’t need a law degree to apply this logic. The core idea is simple: identify how a disability affects someone’s ability to function in daily life, then consider what adjustments would help. It’s less about policing a rulebook and more about opening doors—literally and figuratively.

A quick-reference guide for the essence

If you want a compact takeaway you can carry around, here it is:

• Major life activities are fundamental to daily living, not just tasks tied to a job.

• Listening, working, and breathing are commonly cited as major life activities.

• Running a business is important and meaningful, but it’s not categorized as a major life activity in the same framework.

• In housing, recognizing which activities matter helps determine what accommodations are reasonable and necessary.

• The aim is to remove barriers that impede independent living and social participation.

What to remember when talking with landlords or housing providers

• Focus on how the disability affects daily life, not on the disability label itself.

• Be specific about the impact on major life activities: Is there a barrier to communication, to safe movement, to maintaining health?

• Propose constructive, feasible accommodations. If you’re unsure what’s possible, ask about alternatives—sometimes a small change yields big improvements.

• Document how the change will support equal access without imposing undue financial or logistical strain on the property.

A note on language and respect

The way we talk about disability matters. Clear, respectful language helps ensure that conversations stay practical and focused on real needs. When you describe how major life activities affect someone in a housing context, you’re not labeling a person—you’re explaining what supports would help them live with dignity.

Bringing it all together

The little multiple-choice moment at the start isn’t just trivia. It’s a gateway to understanding how the law anchors everyday life. Major life activities aren’t abstract ideas; they’re the building blocks of independence. Listening, breathing, and working—these aren’t merely words. They’re the real-world functions that shape what people can do in their homes, in their communities, and in the world around them.

As you keep exploring fair housing and disability rights, you’ll spot this pattern again and again: the goal isn’t to police people’s ambitions or limit opportunity. It’s to ensure that the homes, services, and communities we offer give everyone the chance to participate fully. And when a landlord or housing administrator takes that to heart, everyone benefits—the neighbor who can hear the warning chime in the hallway, the resident who breathes easier with better air quality, the worker who can set up a home office without fighting for space.

If you’re looking for a mental shortcut to keep in your back pocket, remember this: major life activities are the threads that hold daily life together. When a barrier touches one of those threads, people deserve a response that keeps life coherent, safe, and inclusive.

A few practical takeaways to close with

• Running a business isn’t a major life activity in the formal sense, even though it’s a big, meaningful pursuit.

• Housing decisions should center on how disabilities affect core daily functions and what accommodations would help.

• Small changes in design or policy can remove big barriers to independence and community participation.

• When in doubt, aim for practical, achievable solutions that respect dignity and promote equal access.

If you’ve got a scenario you want to run through, I’m happy to tailor the discussion to your situation. It helps to talk through real-life examples and see how the core idea—the focus on major life activities—shapes fair and fair-minded housing decisions. After all, the best learning happens where theory meets everyday life, and real neighborhoods become classrooms we’re glad to live in.