In a word, no.  The equality act can only be enforced by individuals taking cases, be they on the basis of sex, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, age or disability. There is no government body that goes around to check these things, though planning permission for new buildings often involves equality assessments and there are specific duties for the public sector. If someone has a problem with access to your business they have no recourse other than asking you to sort it out, or taking legal action against you themselves. Some people think the lack of a central or local government department enforcing this legislation is the reason that after 22 years many businesses do not have equal access for disabled people.

There is an interesting podcast here from someone that explains the legal framework and how disabled people can go about enforcing their rights to reasonable adjustments.

Image care of http://www.crippencartoons.co.uk

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