May Chriseline Beaubrun

Bio:

May Chriseline Beaubrun has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for over 10 years. She is currently the Director of Diversity & Training at Brett DiNovi & Associates. She has worked with children and adults with various cognitive, developmental, and physical disabilities in a variety of settings (i.e., clinic, hospital, home, school, etc.). She has completed program evaluations; developed skill acquisition programs to teach academic areas, cognitive functioning, social skills, language and communication, and adaptive skills; provided parent training; conducted functional behavior assessments (FBA); developed Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP), and provided staff training to various levels of professionals. May has presented at the annual Autism New Jersey convention (formerly Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community) as well as Association for Behavior Analysis International. May also was an adjunct professor at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. May’s other interests include being a judiciary volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program helping children in New Jersey who have been removed from their families because of abuse or neglect.

Abstract:

Chapter 44: URBAN PLANNING
Urban Planning through a Behavior Analytic Lens

Urban Planning refers to the process of developing, designing, and organizing urban areas. Urban planning focuses on advocating for social justice within the community (Davidoff, 1965). Pertaining to social justice and behavior analysis, Wilhite (2016) refers to the BACB code to urge behavior analysts to make progress towards social justice by educating individuals both inside and outside of our field. Social justice refers to all individuals deserving equal economic, political, and social rights. Social injustices occur when economic, political, and social equality leads to disadvantages. The United States of America has a long history of social injustice namely, institutional racism (Lawrence & Keleher, 2004). Institutional Racism is the systematic distribution of power, opportunity, and resources in society to benefit White people at the expense of people of color (Gee & Ford, 2011). This type of racism is built into systematic policies and practices within an institution, including the institution of slavery, forcing indigenous people from their own land, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and internment camps. Although most of these institutions no longer exist, they continue to have a significant impact on modern society (i.e., housing, education, healthcare, law enforcement, and prison).