Founder & Principal Consultant
Chris Fry
Chris Fry is a disability access consultant, Equality Act 2010 specialist and CEDR-accredited mediator. A legal professional with experience in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, he is the founder of Strategic Access Consulting and advises organisations in sport, music, entertainment and live events.
Current role and areas of expertise
Chris advises organisations in sport, music, entertainment and live events on their Equality Act 2010 obligations, with a focus on the anticipatory duty, reasonable adjustments, and the operational design of accessible customer experiences. His work translates shifting caselaw into specific, measurable changes to policy, practice and staff behaviour.
His areas of expertise include disability access auditing, reasonable adjustments design, indirect discrimination risk, accessible ticketing and companion policies, AI and digital systems and disabled customers, and disability mediation. He developed the Disability Impact & Risk Assessment, a proprietary audit tool, and the Dynamic Disability Assessment, an event-specific and individual access risk tool built on 15 years of accessibility caselaw.
Strategic Access Consulting
Strategic Access Consulting is the trading name of Strategic Access Advisory Limited, a specialist accessibility consultancy registered in England & Wales. It works with organisations from Premier League stadiums to West End theatres, turning the Equality Act 2010 into a genuine operational advantage rather than a compliance burden.
Services include compliance audits, insurance-backed subscription retainers, training programmes, and the Dynamic Disability Assessment. The firm serves organisations registered or trading under the law of England and Wales.
The Access Advantage
Chris writes The Access Advantage by Strategic Access Consulting, a monthly briefing that translates the most important caselaw and regulatory developments into operational language for senior decision-makers in sport, music, entertainment and live events. It covers accessibility law, operational accessibility, customer experience and commercial risk.
Subscribers get monthly briefings, direct access to ask one question per month answered personally, and first sight of every tool and framework before public release.
Read more about The Access Advantage or subscribe on Substack (opens in a new tab).
Latest articles by Chris Fry
The most recent articles and briefings, newest first.
Once Said: The Case for a Universal Access Profile
Chris Fry makes the case for a voluntary, universal Access Profile, so disabled people can explain their communication needs once and have the support follow them across public and private services.
Read article →Another Railway Accessibility Duty. But Will Anything Actually Change?
Chris Fry in Sheffield on what the Railways Bill teaches every venue and service provider about reasonable adjustments and the accessible customer journey.
Read article →Why Do We Assume Disabled People Won't Enjoy the Experience?
Chris Fry uses the Little Mix case, a blind sports fan and the British Museum to show why access means the whole experience, not just entry.
Read article →Waved through: when an easier journey raises a harder question
A wheelchair user's day in London raises a question every venue and transport operator should be able to answer. Chris Fry on reasonable adjustments, digital access, staff confidence and Martyn's Law.
Read article →Digital Accessibility and the Case for a Disability Passport
Chris Fry examines the Nimbus and NHS Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag developments together and makes the case for a voluntary Disability Passport trusted by almost one million users.
Read article →Don't Wait for an Accessibility Act
Chris Fry explains what proposals for a UK Accessibility Act and a new Equality Act arbitration petition could mean for venues, sport, entertainment and visitor attractions, with seven practical steps businesses can take.
Read article →Bonfire Night Without the Barriers
Chris Fry on how to host an accessible fireworks and bonfire event: noise, assistance animals, the Goldscheider case, and why safety can't automatically justify exclusion.
Read article →Digital ID Has Changed. Do Disabled Customers Still Need an Access Card?
Chris Fry explains why new digital ID rules don't replace the Nimbus Access Card, what Access Cards actually verify, and what new ticketing integration means for disabled customers.
Read article →Fright Night: The Right to Be Frightened
Halloween scare attractions, 18+ events and Essential Companions: Chris Fry on the anticipatory duty, companion ticket obligations, and what happens when an adjustment risks changing the service itself.
Read article →When Remote Access Is an Adjustment, Not a Substitute for Access
Chris Fry examines the Royal Opera House Mirrorbox project and the Equality Act question of when virtual participation is a good reasonable adjustment, and when physical access should still be provided.
Read article →Temporary Doesn't Mean Exempt
Temporary doesn't mean exempt. Chris Fry on what the Equality Act means for pop-up venues, festival infrastructure, temporary seating, crowd barriers and the event build that happens after the accessibility audit.
Read article →Can a Venue Lawfully Cancel a Performer?
Philip Simon's successful Equality Act claim against Edinburgh's Banshee Labyrinth. Chris Fry on when a venue can lawfully cancel a performer and when cancellation is unlawful discrimination.
Read article →Notable cases and legal work
Chris has acted in reported cases before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, including cases that shaped disability rights law in England and Wales.
Disability, Judicial Review
| Case | Citation |
|---|---|
| R (Katherine Rowley) v Minister for the Cabinet Office | [2021] |
| Leighton v The Lord Chancellor | [2020] EWHC 336 (Admin) |
| Conway v Secretary of State for Justice | [2018] EWCA Civ 16 |
| Hamnett v Essex County Council | [2017] EWCA Civ 6 |
Disability, Private Law
| Case | Citation |
|---|---|
| Paulley v FirstGroup plc | [2017] UKSC 4 |
| Edwards v Flamingo Land Ltd | [2013] EWCA Civ 801 |
Parliamentary contributions
- ▸Bus Services Bill written evidence (BSB 14) — co-authored with Catherine Casserley, House of Commons, March 2017.
- ▸“Unequal impact? Coronavirus, disability and access to services” — Fry Law, April 2020.
Publications
- ▸Contributing author, Blackstone’s Guide to the Equality Act, Blackstone Publishing, 2021.
- ▸Contributing author, Disability Rights Handbook, Disability Rights UK, 2024.
Media coverage
Chris has been cited as a legal commentator on disability rights in national media. He was profiled in The Times as “Lawyer of the Week” on 9 February 2017, following the Supreme Court judgment in Paulley v FirstGroup plc.
ITV News · 2022
Man sues Sainsbury's for banning his assistance cat
BBC News · 2019
Royal Opera House loses appeal over viola player's hearing
BBC News · 2017
'Wheelchair v buggy': Disabled man wins Supreme Court case
BBC News · 2018
Deaf mum sues Little Mix promoter in sign language row
BBC News · 2018
Scouts pay out £42,000 over 11-year-old's autism claim
BBC News · 2018
One-legged golfer sues council-run course for discrimination
BBC News · 2016
Wheelchair dancer sues company over dance floor ban
BBC News · 2015
Halt city 'shared spaces', says report by Lord Holmes
Mediation qualifications
Chris is a CEDR-accredited mediator (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution). He holds postgraduate legal practice qualifications and brings a mediation-led approach to resolving disability access disputes without recourse to litigation where possible.
Professional history
Chris is a legal professional with decades of experience in Courts. Across his legal career he trained seven legal professionals who went on to qualify and practise, and qualified as a CEDR-accredited mediator. Former professional memberships and fellowships include Regional Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL), member of the American Bar Association, and member of the Clinical Practice Board at the University of Sheffield.
Early career
Wake Smith
Became the firm's youngest ever partner.
2010/11
Sheffield Law Society, President
Youngest ever President. Developed the Next Generation diversity initiative. Hosted a Cutlers' Hall dinner attended by Lord Justice Leveson, the largest civic event the society has hosted, with 350 guests. Trebled membership.
2010
Unity Law, Co-founder
Co-founded to make legal services more accessible and straightforward for clients.
2017
Fry Law, Founder
Focused on disability rights and equality law. Direct precursor to Strategic Access Advisory Limited.
At a glance
- Based inSheffield, England
- FirmStrategic Access Consulting
- Legal entityStrategic Access Advisory Limited
- QualifiedCEDR-accredited Mediator
- CourtsCourt of Appeal, Supreme Court
- Former PresidentSheffield Law Society 2010/11
Sailing
Away from professional life, Chris is a national-level competitive sailor in the Enterprise dinghy class and holds an RYA Instructor qualification. He raced as part of the Hallamshire Sailing Club team and was sponsored by McNamara Sails, Speed Sails, JJ Boats, Oakley, and Ronstan.
He holds multiple wins at the Southport 24-Hour Race and competed in the 2010 Endeavour Trophy, the UK’s premier inter-class sailing championship. He is Enterprise Fleet Captain at Ogston Sailing Club, Derbyshire, and leads the club’s 24-hour race team. He is also the founder of Advanced Race Coaching Limited.
He held membership at the Royal Windermere Yacht Club, where he sailed an RS100 and crewed in a Flying Fifteen.
Enterprise GBR 20900 at Ogston Reservoir
Work with Chris
Strategic Access Consulting works with organisations in sport, music, entertainment and live events to turn Equality Act compliance into genuine operational advantage. A 20-minute discovery call is the fastest way to find out whether it’s the right fit for your organisation.
Book a discovery call