The way I described it is certainly the way it has been in the past. Airlines have historically pushed the boundaries of legality with employment screening issues...and they usually get away with it, winning the lawsuits by playing the "public safety" card to a jury of your "peers".

Things have been improving lately in some respects...20/100 vision is no longer required by most airlines, and many airlines do not even bother conducting a medical exam.

The problem with an SI is that it generally means you have a condition which could change quickly, rendering you unfit to fly. An employer would be reluctant to invest their training dollars in someone who might be more likely to lose their medical, and I'm not sure that is discrimination in the case of pilot medicals. It is probably not protected under the ADA...the airlines already fought that battle and won. Most people who are fit enough to fly are too fit to qualify as disabled per the ADA.

I think things will only become more liberal going forward (unless there is a smoking hole accident involving a pilot with an SI), but I can't sya for sure whether it might impact your career...that depends on where and when you apply for a job.

But it would be a concern if I were in your shoes...I don't know what the condition is of if it's likely to worsen, but I would probably want to have a backup plan in case aviation doesn't work out. Unfortunately, the employers most likely to overlook things like this are the usually the ones you are least likely to want to work for.