{"id":28316,"date":"2016-02-09T11:13:54","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T17:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=28316"},"modified":"2016-02-09T11:13:54","modified_gmt":"2016-02-09T17:13:54","slug":"freshii-welcomes-all-customers-with-open-doors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/freshii-welcomes-all-customers-with-open-doors\/","title":{"rendered":"Freshii Welcomes All Customers with Open Doors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Shen Wu Tan<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Canadian fast food chain Freshii<\/a> recently launched its new accessibility program at its Chicago area locations, inviting and welcoming all customers into their stores, including those who require extra assistance.<\/p>\n

The Freshii Assist program includes installations of Inclusion Solutions’<\/a> BigBell alert systems at 28 Chicago locations and one Evanston location, as well as company-wide training on disability awareness. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make it known to anybody in the community, whether it is a mom [with a stroller] or a disabled person or an elderly person, we are here to help them and make their day easier,\u201d said David Grossman, the area developer of Chicagoland Freshii. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The BigBell alert systems are stationed at Freshii storefronts and enable customers without full mobility to alert company employees of anyone needing assistance. Customers press an oversized touchpad at the door, which activates a receiver by the cashier with a flashing strobe and ring tone.<\/p>\n

In addition to the alert system, JJ\u2019s List<\/a> will host training workshops where Freshii employees will learn about individuals with disabilities and how to interact with them. <\/p>\n

Benjamin Lachman, JJ\u2019s List business and community engagement coordinator, said the purpose of the training is to \u201ccreate a bridge between businesses and people with disabilities that allows for greater employment opportunities and a more accessible marketplace for consumers with disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Freshii has made an effort to build inclusivity, Patrick Hughes, the founder and CEO of Inclusion Solutions, said accessibility should be a consideration in all company blueprints. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery website, every store, everything we build and work with needs to be accessible,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cAnd it shouldn\u2019t be an afterthought. It should be thought of when we build these things. And right now to this day, in my opinion, it\u2019s an afterthought.\u201d <\/p>\n

Accessibility was an afterthought for a coffee shop that Stephen Hiatt-Leonard regularly visited. The Southern Illinois University student could not independently access the shop in his wheelchair. His story about inaccessibility became the driving force behind Freshii Assist.<\/p>\n

Fed up with an entrance that was inaccessible, Hiatt-Leonard requested the coffee shop install a BigBell alert system. The corporate offices denied his request. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was upset and angry,\u201d Hiatt-Leonard wrote in an email. \u201cI involved the alderman and the Attorney General\u2019s office on disabilities.\u00a0The Attorney General\u2019s office found they were not in compliance with the Illinois Environmental Barrier Act.\u00a0That was corrected by installing an easier opening device. I still cannot enter the building.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Hiatt-Leonard asked that the name of the coffee shop not be released.<\/p>\n

Hearing Hiatt-Leonard\u2019s story, Hughes said he could not comprehend why a company wouldn\u2019t choose to make its business more accessible with a simple touchpad on the outside of the building entrance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have doorbells on our houses. Why not on our businesses? A door to some people is a barrier,\u201d Hughes said, adding that these barriers can exclude a good portion of the consumer market.<\/p>\n

According to the United States Census Bureau, about 7.3 percent of Chicago\u2019s population under the age of 65 reported having a disability from 2010 to 2014. <\/p>\n

Both Grossman and Hughes said they hope other companies start recognizing the demand for accessibility and adapt a business philosophy and model that represents a fully inclusive consumer market. <\/p>\n

Photo at top: Stephen Hiatt-Leonard rings the BigBell alert system to request assistance outside of the Evanston Freshii store. (Patrick Hughes)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Shen Wu Tan The Canadian fast food chain Freshii recently launched its new accessibility program at its Chicago area locations, inviting and welcoming all customers into their stores, including those who require extra assistance. 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