This grandma is using Legos to make her town more accessible
These colorful ramps are the wheel deal.
A German grandma has formulated an ingenious way to make her town more accessible to the disabled — by constructing wheelchair ramps out of Lego blocks.
Rita Ebel, 62 and from Hanau, Germany, has been wheelchair-bound since she was injured in a car crash a quarter-century ago, reports Reuters. As if getting around wasn’t difficult enough on its own, her town’s lack of wheelchair-accessible businesses has made certain areas virtually impossible for disabled inhabitants to visit.
Fortunately, the enterprising granny has managed to circumvent the problem by MacGyvering ramps out of Legos.
“For me, it is just about trying to sensitize the world a little bit to barrier-free travel,” says Ebel, who, with the help of her husband, spends up to three hours a day constructing the entrances from scratch by gluing hundreds of the bumpy toy bricks together. The Lego pieces themselves are donated by fans from all over Germany, and are given to stores free of charge, according to iNews.
But don’t be fooled by the rudimentary components. “The ramps are super stable, can be made for different heights, and have the advantage that they are mobile and have a good grip,” says Ebel.
The sexagenarian inventor was inspired by a fellow wheelchair user who built Lego ramps in her northern German town, reports iNews.
Needless to say, the project has resonated with Hanau’s citizens.
“Nobody just walks past a Lego ramp without taking a look,” says Ebel. “Whether it’s children who try to get the bricks out or adults who take out their mobile phones to take pictures.”
More importantly, the ramps’ bright colors make them visible to those with disabilities from far away. “Finally you can see from afar that you can get in here without any problems,” says Malika El Harti, who obtained a Lego runway for her hair salon.
The Lego entrances have garnered global recognition as well, with tourism associations in Spain and the United States both expressing interest in Ebel’s creation. Not only that but the inventor sent ramp-building directions to people in Austria and Switzerland so they can re-create them in their hometowns.
“Our campaign is picking up speed and rolling,” says a proud Ebel. “It’s great to see how many people are interested in it and want to participate.”