'Lego grandma' builds wheelchair ramps from donated lego bricks

Ebel started to build ramps almost one year ago to raise awareness for handicapped people

Last updated: February 19, 2020 | 15:53

2 MIN READ

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Faced with rows of inaccessible shops and cafes, wheelchair user Rita Ebel has devised a low-tech high-fun solution - ramps made of Lego.

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"For me it is just about trying to sensitise the world a little bit to barrier-free travel," Ebel said in the German town of Hanau.

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She has been using a wheelchair since she was involved in a car accident 25 years ago.

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"Anyone could suddenly end up in a situation that puts them in a wheelchair, like it did me," the 62-year-old grandmother said.

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Helped by her husband, Ebel often spends two to three hours a day building the made-to-order ramps which contain several hundred of the small plastic bricks stuck together with up to eight tubes of glue.

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The bright colours stand out in town centres, she said. "Nobody just walks past a Lego ramp without taking a look.

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Whether it's children who try to get the bricks out or adults who take out their mobile phones to take pictures," she said. Local businesses are also enthusiastic.

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"It's a brilliant idea," said Malika El Harti, who got a ramp for her hair salon. "Everyone who walks past is happy about the ramps. Finally you can see from afar that you can get in here without any problems."

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Reliant on donations, the biggest challenge is getting hold of bricks, said Eber, as many families can't bear to part with them.

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The idea is even catching on abroad. Eber, who also has a part-time job, has sent ramp building instructions to Austria and Switzerland and there is interest from Spain and a school in the United States.

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