The colorful parts are more than a child's toy.
In Vaterstetten, ramps are made of Lego bricks.
A help for wheelchair users and people with walkers.
Vaterstetten
– People who are dependent on a walker or wheelchair know the problem: they encounter barriers everywhere.
Even a single level can deny access to a store or eatery.
Where there is no ramp on site, mobile ramps can be used.
Mobile ramps for wheelchair users are usually made of metal, are difficult to transport and are usually quite expensive.
The idea came about a year ago
That's why a new idea is now gaining ground in many places: self-built ramps made of Lego bricks.
In Vaterstetten, too, they are now being eagerly manufactured.
The idea came about in autumn 2021 when Elisabeth Mundelius, integration officer in the Vaterstetten municipal council, visited the Bernstein group.
This is a group of disabled and non-disabled people who have been meeting regularly for a cozy get-together and joint activities for over 20 years.
The amber group is one of many projects organized by the Verein aktiver Bürger (VaB).
In conversation with the speaker, the talk also came to the said Lego ramps.
washing machine in use
Coincidentally, Hermine Jäger, second chairwoman of the VaB, was at a flea market the next day and was able to buy 15 kilos of Lego bricks there.
"That sounds like a lot, but it's just a drop in the ocean," she says.
Because for a Lego ramp, the building boards and the normal building blocks are required above all, but not the special blocks, of which there are now countless.
That's why an appeal for donations was started in the parish bulletin.
The amber group sorted the donated Lego bricks, and the usable ones were then cleaned.
"It works really well in the washing machine, for example if you put the stones in an empty pillowcase," explains Jäger.
Legal norms
In November the time had come and the first ramp with a height of 8.5 cm and a gradient of six percent (which corresponds to the legal standard for wheelchair ramps) was ready.
"Each individual stone was glued for stability," emphasizes Jäger.
The pure construction time according to instructions from the Internet was around four hours, "but before that many hours of preparatory work were necessary, just for the sorting."
Initiators hope for imitators
As soon as the prototype was finished, the first order came for a member of the Bernstein group, a woman in a recumbent wheelchair, who could use it to climb the step on her terrace.
This ramp was also shown at this year's street festival in Vaterstetten and met with a great response, so that further construction contracts quickly followed.
And the VaB hopes for many imitators: "We are thinking of companies in Vaterstetten who could use such a ramp for their customers if necessary," says Beate Milde-Schmitz, the first chairwoman of the VaB.
It's not just about wheelchair users, but also about seniors with walkers, says Milde-Schmitz, who is also an active member of the senior citizens' advisory board.
Lego donations hoped for
In order to be able to continue building, the VaB needs more Lego donations.
Anyone who has building blocks to hand in can contact the VaB office on (0 81 06) 2 35 26 32 or buero@verein-aktiver-buerger.de.
Building instructions for the Lego ramp can be found on the Internet or can also be requested from the VaB.
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