Interview Series: Sharon Alert-Burgess, Behavior Intervention Specialist
The following is an interview of Sharon Alert-Burgess. Ms. Alert-Burgess is a Behavior Intervention Specialist (BIS) in Queens, New York. We appreciate her for taking the time to answer these questions. JJ: Where did you go for your bachelor's and master's degrees? What did you major in? M.S.Ed., East Stroudsburg University (ESU) B.A. Psychology, York College (CUNY) JJ: How long have you been in the field? What made you select being a BIS as a career? I started working in this field in 1999 after I graduated high school. I began in Early Intervention doing ABA with Children who were diagnosed with Autism. After high school, I
Working with the Developmentally Disabled
November will mark the start of my tenth year working in the intellectually & developmentally disabled field. I spent my 30s, in various shapes and forms, caring for those that are recognized in the general public as the mentally retarded. In fact, using the developmentally disabled to refer to those I serve, generally results in confusion. It requires a longer conversation. Outside of the field, most people don’t know of whom I am referring to with that usage. I don’t blame them. Prior to my entry into the field, I wasn’t familiar with the usage either. I knew only of one such person, and