Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 1 | 2009 | Number 2 | On-line ISSN: 2151-4704
New York State ABA
By Dennis Mozingo
The New York State Association for Behavior Analysis (NYSABA) has undergone significant development in the last two years. NYSABA has shored up its vision and mission, with particular attention devoted to advancing the recognition and right to practice of professional behavior analysts in New York, while maintaining a commitment to a quality annual conference that addresses the needs of behavior analysts working in university labs and clinical positions, schools and other educational settings, family homes, and treatment and rehabilitation settings.
NYSABA representatives now make three to four trips per year to Albany for formal "lobby days." These activities include meetings with state legislators regarding behavior analysis in New York and related legislation. In the last year, we have had a bill introduced exempting behavior analysis from the psychology license act and have sought the inclusion of language in the 2009 state budget to continue an exemption from the psychology practice act of Master's level professionals working in settings overseen by the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Mental Health. Currently, we are working with the sponsor of pending autism insurance legislation and Autism Speaks on language in the bill that will affect behavior analysts and consumers of behavior analytic services. NYSABA is partnering with many of the state's behavior analysis training programs, parent and advocacy groups, and administrators who employ behavior analysis practices in these efforts.
Our 20th Anniversary Conference was held at the Albany Marriott in our state's capital, November 5—6, 2009. The conference featured "the best of New York" with keynote speakers that included the state's finest behavior analysts and friends of behavior analysis. As always, NYSABA's annual conference offered the most continuing education units for BCBAs for a single event in New York. This year's conference featured pre-conference workshops, a legislative update from our lobbyist and legislative committee, and a presentation of our second annual Student Poster Award.
In addition to our legislative and conference activities, NYSABA is working to increase its visibility and membership through the efforts of our public relations, education, and membership committees. These efforts include co-sponsoring behavior analysis and related events around the state (offering continued education when possible), participating in advocacy and awareness events such as autism walks, maintaining direct contact with every Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the state, and faculty in-training programs to encourage membership of BCBAs and students of behavior analysis.
Visit NYSABA’s Web site at www.nysaba.org for the latest on upcoming events, employment opportunities, and organization activities.