Joe Chiappetta's Blog, page 15

Disability Awareness at Work

Create an inclusive environment! This slideshow will help you to effectively communicate and be comfortable while interacting with customers and staff who have disabilities.

Topics covered include the following:


Disability population
Disability consumer market
Communication tips for full inclusion
Disability category overview

People with disabilities are the largest US minority population (US Census Bureau 2002). One out of 5 Americans has a disability, and disability cuts across all races...

How to Ask for a Job: a Flashcard on Approaching Employers for People with Developmental Disabilities

Designed to accelerate the job seeking process, this cartoon is a visual aid to help people with developmental disabilities (like autism) or other social/communication challenges. For a large number of more visual learners, an illustrated script can be useful in practicing what to say when trying to find employment in the community.

 

A simplified outline of how to ask employers for a job can go something like this:

Step 1. Go to a business where you wo...

The Man with the Golden Widget

 

At a special event for a seasoned government worker, a colleague addresses his honored friend and says, "Congratulations, Bill Simplewell, on receiving The Golden Widget Award at your retirement dinner!"

 

With all the sincerity of a loyal lifelong State worker fighting for truth, justice, and an auditor's way, Bill asks, "But I still don't quite understand: what exactly is a widget?"

 

In a rare moment of government-funded inspiration, the colleague replies, "We...

Those Cute Little Interruptions

This universal mother and child moment in comics is one that all parents can likely relate with instantly.



While trying to write something of substance down on paper, a mother's train of thought is abruptly derailed by her young daughter who is pulling on her mother's arm with all the cuteness that she can muster. A common thought enters the mother's mind; "Someday I'll probably miss these frequent little interruptions."



As her child continues to tug on her arm, mom takes a good look a...

When Shopping with a Paratriathlete

Melissa Stockwell, a US veteran and person with a prosthetic leg, gave an inspiring as well as practical speech at the 2013 Adler Abilities Symposium in Chicago, sponsored by the Adler School of Professional Psychology. This is not an exact quote but she said something to this effect;

"When I go to the store, I don't need people congratulating me for getting out of my house to buy groceries. I'm a champion paratriathlete. You can congratulate me for that!"



Digital comic by Joe Chiappett...

If Boxes Could Talk

I hope you enjoy this surreal comic designed to expose the perils of pride and prejudice.



Amidst a crowd of cardboard cartons, one proud container asks another, "Do you know why us boxes are better than crates?"



Agitated, the other box replies, "Hey, my mother was a crate!"



I have been studying pride and humility lately in the Bible and in my own character. After much reflection, I have come to an essential conclusion; God is majestic and he is the only being to be raised...

A Comic of Wide Appeal

My daughter responded to one of my sketches with surprising alarm; "Hey, my face is not that fat!"

She is probably right but then we both agreed that the drawing was too cute to fix up.

Digital comic drawn by Joe Chiappetta 2013 on Google Nexus Tablet

Marriage Problems and Solutions all on a Date

On a special night out on the town in downtown Chicago, a husband and wife who are quite active in ministry issues have an eventually helpful conversation.

 

"Should we stop discussing how to fix other people's marriage problems on our big date?" asks the wife.

 

"Great idea!" replies the husband.

 

Problem solved. If this sounds like a real marital discussion, that's because it's ripped from the romantic realities of a would-be actual date we have survived through.

 ...

Need People First - Not Doctors

After falling off his wheelchair down a flight of inaccessible stairs, a well-intentioned fellow holds his phone out and asks, "Hey, wheelchair guy, should I call you a doctor?"



The disheveled individual on the ground replies, "I'd rather have you call me a person, first!"



While many initiatives that reword things to be politically correct can be hard to keep up with and even questionable in nature, the People First Movement can be quite helpful. This is an ongoing effort t...

Dating and Alternate Futures

A Silly Daddy Sci-Fi Teen Dating Comic Designed to Teach You Something


An oddly intense teenage young man says with confidence to a young woman, "I'm from an alternate future where you will actually want to date me!"



"That must be the same future wherein I'm really a zombie," replies the woman coldly.



Does it come as no surprise that this poor fellow might be fine with that?



When it comes to relationships, the world is entirely messed up: desperately lonely, yet too...