Ania Flatau has taken kickboxing classes. What might surprise you is that she uses a wheelchair.

“I like to try everything once,” she said. “I’ve gained a lot of health benefits and confidence by being able to move and dance.”

She’s also a regular Zumba participant, a fierce basketball player, and has tried wheelchair ballroom and salsa dancing. And she explored acroyoga – an art form that combines yoga and acrobatics – through CSU Summer Arts.

Being visible and participating in community events are both part of Flatau’s lifestyle and connected to her work as an advocate for people with disabilities.

“If I can be part of class and change a perspective by being involved like everyone else, that is seventh heaven,” she said. “There are going to be adaptations, but [my classmates can see] those as a normal way of being.”

Flatau will receive a degree in kinesiology at the commencement ceremony in May, and is applying to graduate schools in occupational therapy. She was born with spina bifida and likes the idea of working with people who have had spinal cord injuries because they are coming from a different perspective.

“I have the body I have, and I’ve learned how to work with it,” she said. “They’re going from one life to another. I think we both would learn a lot from that relationship. But occupational therapy is a broad field – there are a lot of different directions I could go.” Flatau grew up participating in the athletic community, but she really stepped up her advocacy work when she joined Yo! Disabled and Proud, a national organization for disabled youth, just after high school. She worked with Yo! on a campaign to increase the number of schools that celebrate Disability History Week. “At that time, I thought I knew everything and was very independent,” she said. “Through Yo!, I learned a lot about myself and the community. There is a reason we have curb cuts and elevators – because somebody fought for us. That became the reason I do the advocacy work that I do now.” She continued that advocacy on campus as a member of Student Awareness for Disability Empowerment, a student club that provides educational programs, networking and awareness in order to advance the rights of people with disabilities within the campus community.

“I think it’s important for injured people and people with disabilities to be visible,” she said. “It is more than just a pity thing, and it doesn’t have to be something you are embarrassed about. I want to highlight the culture and community.”

Graduate school may be on the horizon, but Flatau has more immediate plans. She’s working to get certified to teach Zumba and U-Jam, another fitness program. And she hopes to earn certification as an inclusive fitness trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine.

And then there’s the dancing. In July, she’ll dance with the American DanceWheels Foundation at the Pan American Games in Toronto.

– Liz MacDonald