In the German town of Hanau, a woman named Rita Ebel became known not for grand speeches or wealth, but for something far simpler—and far more colorful. Using thousands of LEGO bricks, she built ramps that changed her city forever.
Rita has been using a wheelchair since a car accident decades ago. Over the years, she grew used to the little barriers that most people never notice: a single step too high at a café, a curb without a ramp, a shop entrance that quietly says “you don’t belong here.” But instead of letting frustration grow into bitterness, Rita decided to transform it into action—and creativity.
One day, while organizing her grandson’s LEGO set, she noticed how sturdy the blocks were. “Why not build ramps?” she thought. Together with her husband, she began testing designs on her living room floor. Soon, colorful ramps made of red, yellow, blue, and green LEGO bricks began appearing across Hanau.
Each ramp took several thousand pieces and about six hours to assemble. They weren’t just practical—they were beautiful. Children stopped to admire them, shop owners proudly installed them, and tourists began taking photos. What began as a simple accessibility project quickly became a movement of community pride and inclusion.
Rita’s idea spread online and soon, people from around the world began reaching out. Families donated unused LEGO bricks; volunteers offered to help build more ramps. She started sharing her building instructions so anyone—anywhere—could create the same kind of accessibility in their neighborhood.
But beyond the bricks, Rita’s story is about empathy and imagination. “I just want to make people smile,” she says. “When someone sees a ramp and realizes they can finally enter a shop without help, that smile means everything.”
Today, her ramps stand as vivid reminders that accessibility isn’t charity—it’s equality. In every piece of plastic, in every burst of color, there’s a message: barriers can be dismantled, and beauty can build bridges.
Through her work, Rita has shown that even the smallest pieces can make a big difference—and that hope, when built together, can brighten an entire city.