- "The 'Lego-Granny' is exhilarated about commencing her career at the latest retail establishment"
Around a month into her new venture, "Lego Mama" Rita Ebel is ecstatic about the success of her new store in Hanau's core. She enthusiastically shares, "It's like a dream coming true for me to promote and share the concept of accessibility more widely." The 67-year-old, along with her team, has already built and donated over 100 Lego ramps for wheelchair users and distributed them to local businesses.
This selfless act has earned her the title of "Lego Mama" and recognition beyond Hanau's borders. Since a car accident in 1994, Ebel has relied on a wheelchair.
Unsuitable conditions
Before moving, Ebel and her team assembled the ramps in a cold, isolated room in a parking garage. "No heating, no windows, no toilet, no running water," she recalls the harsh conditions. Now, the store, just a stone's throw away from the busy pedestrian zone, is warm, inviting, wheelchair-friendly, and provides ample space for her dedicated volunteers and, of course, the countless Lego brick boxes.
The store proudly displays a "Lego Mama" sign with bright, eye-catching letters. "People have started visiting spontaneously, asking to donate Lego bricks or for building instructions for the wheelchair ramps," she shares happily. Some even offer to help construct them.
She expresses her hope that similar ramp-building projects would flourish in various cities, and she would be more than willing to contribute. Used Lego bricks, which her husband sorts and cleans, are still welcome, she adds.
New horizons
The new location presents numerous opportunities for "Lego Mama," who is brimming with ideas. A side room in the store now houses several wheelchairs for a project called "Perspective Change." Participants - both wheelchair users and able-bodied individuals - visit local businesses to assess their wheelchair accessibility. "We let anyone who wants to view the city through a wheelchair borrow one from us," she explains, justifying the project's name.
Mayor Maximilian Bieri (SPD) is proud of "Lego Mama," highlighting her significant role in bringing attention to the topic of inclusivity far beyond the region. "I have not come across another store in the country where 'Lego Mama' feels at home," he says.
The city covers the rent, while Ebel and the AWO Hanau cover the utility expenses. The AWO has supported the project since its inception, as Anna Jagust from the AWO city association explains. "She has inspired us from the start," she says, referring to "Lego Mama."
"No more shisha bars"
Landlord Carsten Daus, a lifelong Hanauer, has admired the vibrant Lego ramps in the city's landscape. "It's amazing - a fantastic project," he says. He contacted Ebel and then the city of Hanau when a store selling high-quality coffee machines became vacant. For him, using his property on Schnurstraße for a purpose that ensures "life in the city - and not another shisha bar" was essential.
Children often visit the Lego Mama store, drawn by the bright "Lego Mama" sign and excited to donate Lego bricks or help build wheelchair ramps. Rita Ebel, affectionately known as the Lego Mama, hopes that her Lego ramp-building projects will inspire similar initiatives in other cities.
