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ramps as part of the ‘Menschen in Hanau’ (Humans in Hanau) initiative. She approached the organization after reading an article about Corinna Huber, who invented the Lego ramps and started building them in Bielefeld. When Rita realized that most German cities still lack accessibility, with her hometown Hanau not being an exception, Rita contacted Corinna, received the instructions, and planned to build her first ramp.
The start was tricky
At first, the business owners didn’t understand the significance of Rita’s project. “The owners of the shops would always tell me that I could simply knock on the door, and then they will help me to get in. They thought this wasn’t a problem. However, if you are an active wheelchair-user and used to being independent, you aren’t going to stop in front of their door, knock, and ask for help.”
It’s often hard to comprehend for non-disabled people why being carried up a tiny stair isn’t the same thing as entering and exiting a shop whenever you want—just like any other person is allowed to do. However, Rita’s explanations and, moreover, her persistence, changed the hearts and minds of many people in Hanau.
How to get 7 kg of Lego
Right after Rita initiated the Lego project in Hanau, another challenge arose. Where does she find thousands
of Lego pieces to build her first ramp? “Getting the Legos is actually the hardest part. People who have Lego at home usually don’t want to give them up because it’s something that goes through all generations. Additionally, Lego has gotten quite expensive. And if I do get Legos, the pieces are often not suitable for my ramps, because I need the basic building blocks, but these days most of the Legos belong to a ‘Lego Friends’ or ‘Star Wars’ set,” Rita says.
Every piece counts
Rita started to create social media channels and asked for Lego donations. An online seller saw one of her many social initiatives and wanted to help. “He asked how many pieces of Lego I would need to finish my very first ramp. I responded that I was afraid I might need around 1000 Legos to begin with. Shortly after, he came to me with two huge boxes filled with Lego,” Rita remembers. Finally, she could build her first ramp.
“I can’t have enough stones”
How many Lego pieces Rita needs to complete a ramp depends on the height of the step the ramp has to overcome. “For a 15 cm (approx. 6 inches) stair, we need a two-lane ramp, which makes around 8 kg of Lego.” It takes Rita only 3-4 hours to finish one of these lanes. Her husband builds the bottom part, and she takes care of the surface. Rita says the most pressing issue is that she just doesn’t have enough room to store all the
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