Monterey Bay: The Magazine of CSU Monterey Bay Spring/Summer 2014, Vol. VII, No. I | Page 8

S t u de n t s

High Visibility
Student advocates for people with disabilities
Recently, Ania Flatau dropped into a kickboxing class at the
Monterey Sports Center. What might surprise you is that
Ania uses a wheelchair.

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S p r i n g / S u m m e r 2 0 1 4 | csu m b . e d u / m a g a z i n e

Photo Randy Tunnell

Ania Flatau

“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 a wheelchair
ballroom dancer. And she explored acroyoga — an artform 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.”
A kinesiology major, Flatau envisions her
career in occu