3.08 Disparate Impact is a legal concept that refers to the situation where a seemingly neutral practice results in different outcomes based on a person’s protected characteristics. It is a form of indirect discrimination which can be seen when a policy appears to be neutral on the surface, but has a disproportionate impact on certain individuals in a protected group, such as those of a particular race, disability, or gender. There are two types of disparate impact: disparate treatment and disparate impact. Disparate treatment refers to a policy or practice that is intentionally implemented in a discriminatory manner, while disparate impact refers to a policy or practice that unintentionally or unintentionally has a discriminatory result.