QASA received 50 locally manufactured Smergos bags from Avis Chauffeur Drive, which will be distributed among its members. Steve Payze from Avis was inspired to donate the bags by the need for wheelchair users to be more mobile.
Co-owner of Smergos Nicole Vergos notes, “Both Nick Smith (co-owner of Smergos) and I have a disability, have overcome numerous challenges along the way, and have not allowed our disabilities to define us or prevent us from fulfilling our life goals.” She notes that the company was launched when Smith was thinking of a present for Vergos’s upcoming birthday.
“He thought of a wheelchair bag that would increase my independence and mobility by taking belongings off my lap. It would be functional, original and fun. As a company, our aim is to offer a range of bags and other accessories that fit neatly onto any wheelchair, which gives the individual a safe and easily accessible way of carrying their belongings,” Vergos concludes.
Ari Seirlis is the CEO of the QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) and managing editor of Rolling Inspiration. email: ceo@qasa.co.za
