May 20, 2011 (Toronto) – Pizza Pizza, Canada’s leading pizza chain, announced today a new partnership with eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ to help extend its service to Canadians with physical disabilities. The company is the first major quick service restaurant chain to join the initiative, which is part of a Disability Community Involvement initiative sponsored by March of Dimes Canada.
eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ and March of Dimes Canada are leading this initiative by bringing organizations together to connect with and empower the disabled community in a meaningful way. eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ allows organizations to make expensive assistive technology available to all for free, thereby extending access to important online information and services to more Canadians.
"Reaching out to Canadians with physical disabilities and providing this type of convenience is a very important achievement for our business, and the industry as a whole,” said Pat Finelli, chief marketing officer, Pizza Pizza. “Customers can order in our stores, through our central phone number, using the iPhone app or via our website. Now with the launch of eSSENTIAL Accessibility™, an important new segment of the market will have a convenient way to order that works within their lifestyle.”
Users can click on the intuitive icons (
) located on the PizzaPizza.ca
homepage and use assistive technology to order their menu
choices. The application is available to more than two
million Canadians who have difficulty typing, moving a mouse or
reading a web page. It is a virtual wheelchair for websites
and empowers users with dexterity limitations that arise from a
variety of conditions including stroke, paralysis, arthritis,
multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.
It also helps individuals who have difficulty reading because of
literacy deficiencies, limited English proficiency, dyslexia, or a
mild visual impairment.
“Helping the disabled achieve independence is critical and that includes doing something as routine as ordering pizza online,” said Simon Dermer, managing director, eSSENTIAL Accessibility™. “Pizza Pizza is a leader and the first in the Canadian quick service restaurant segment to join this initiative. They have set a precedent for others to foster inclusion and support for the disability community.”
“We want to ensure all of our customers and suppliers understand this clear commitment to the initiative,” reinforced Finelli.
Pizza Pizza will be rolling out the program by advising its franchise partners, suppliers and employees, as well as notifying customers through its Facebook and Twitter pages.
About Pizza Pizza Limited
Founded in 1967, Pizza Pizza Limited is Canada's pizza pioneer and
one of the country’s most successful quick service restaurant
chains. With its Pizza Pizza and Pizza 73 banners, the company has
been an innovative leader in the industry with the introduction of
Canada’s first centralized single number ordering system, an online
web ordering system, wireless payment technology to the customer’s
door and the world’s first insulated pizza delivery bag. The
company is guided by a mission to provide the “best food, made
especially for you” with a focus on quality ingredients, customer
service and continual innovation.
About eSSENTIAL Accessibility™
eSSENTIAL Accessibility™makes online environments instantly accessible to individuals with physical disabilities. It is a virtual wheelchair for websites that empowers users with dexterity limitations that arise from a variety of conditions including stroke, paralysis, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease among others. Moreover, it also helps those who have difficulty reading because of literacy deficiencies, limited English proficiency, dyslexia, or mild visual impairment. Organizations feature the eSSENTIAL Accessibility™ icon as part of a Disability Community Involvement initiative sponsored by March of Dimes Canada. The symbol displayed on the homepage acts as a clickable icon through which any visitor can download the assistive technology they require free of charge.
