Shonaquip, a manufacturer of custom-designed mobility devices including wheelchairs, walked away with a R50 000 boost to their bottom-line thanks to leading law firm Adams & Adams’ sponsorship of the 2014 Design Indaba Expo’s Innovation Awards.

Shonaquip was established to provide young wheelchair users and their caregivers with access to South Africa appropriate wheelchairs, posture support devices and accessible support services in order to ensure improved quality of life and inclusion in their local communities.
It was their latest design, the Madiba2Go Buggy, on display at the Africa is Now exhibition at the Expo that saw them honoured with the award this year.

“The buggy is a rugged and adaptable mobile seating system that provides highly-adjustable modular postural support for children with complex mobility  disabilities, especially those living out in challenging rural and under resourced environments,” comments Guillaume du Toit, head of design at Shonaquip.
“Acknowledgement of the simplicity of this design in terms of its addressing complex clinical, functional and social challenges, which have significant impact on the lives of the children it was designed for, has elevated the importance of this locally appropriate innovation.  It has also assisted us in shifting disability from its history in charitable giving and pity to one of celebrating social inclusion.”

“The list of criteria for the Innovation award was extremely challenging,” remarks Mariette du Plessis, senior partner at Adams & Adams – the official legal advisor and associate sponsor to the Design Indaba.  “The winning product had to be original, it also had to be manufacturable, and present a significant new direction for the designer.  Another requirement was that it make a notable contribution to South African design, and had to demonstrate exceptional skill and workmanship.  The Madiba2GoBuggy lives up to all these deliverables.

“It’s great to see such thought, time and effort invested in a piece that makes a real difference to disabled children’s lives - which is why it is so important that they protect the intellectual property vested in their product,” says du Plessis. "Adams & Adams will be assisting Shonaquip to protect its designs and brands, as part of the firm's ongoing programme to promote and protect creativity. "

Adams & Adams was also an exhibitor at the Design Indaba, providing intellectual property advice to new and emerging creatives and established designers on how to protect their work and ultimately the financial remunerations thereof.  Whether it was information on trade marks, copyright, design protection or patents they needed, everyone from fashion designers, furniture manufacturers, jewelers, photographers, illustrators, to graphic designers and bike manufacturers made their way to the Adams & Adams stand where the legal specialists were on hand to explain how best to maneuver their way around the challenges they face when bringing a new work or product to market.