Social Skills for Silly Daddy

Ink pens and markers on 8.5" x 5.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011

Here is a comic about social skills that screams, "You're NOT hired!" At a job fair, an employer from Pac-Mart asks a hopeful job seeker, "Do you have any social skills?"

The job seeker replies, "Does Facebook count?"

This comic is used in disability awareness presentations I do about developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities. I use it to highlight how social skills are not intuitive for everyone. For many people, more focus and learning is required to engage in appropriate social communication and interaction.

Oh, and for the record, Facebook or other online social networks typically won't improve your social skills. Sorry.

Significant Limitations for Silly Daddy

Ink pens and markers on 8.5" x 5.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011

A man sits out in the open and admits, "I have significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior."

A woman kneels beside him in attempted understanding and says, "I see. You must have an intellectual disability." The woman obviously has a background in disability awareness and knows the current definition of the term "intellectual disability."

However, the man explains, "No, actually, I just have two teenagers."

I used this comic in a presentation on intellectual disabilities for the State of Illinois. The intent of the illustration was to help people remember the definition of intellectual disability in a non-boring manner. If you think the characters in this scene look like Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz, you're close. I actually drew these characters from a high school production of the musical, "The Wiz." Of course, both musicals are based off of L. Frank Baum's story, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" from 1900.

On a disability side note, both of Dorothy and the Lion's companions in the Wizard of Oz have non-apparent disabilities; The Scarecrow did not have a brain, and the Tin Woodman did not have a heart.

Not Exactly Full Disclosure

Ink pens and markers on 8.5" x 5.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011

This comic is an excerpt from my book The Back Pain Avenger (available now).

All in the name of adapting so I could still do my job, I would stand up at my desk rather than sit because my lower back pain while in a seated position was often unbearable. Therefore, I got a box, put my monitor on it and also put my keyboard on a box too. While this redecoration never made for the prettiest office, raising my work station was a no cost way for me to ease my back pain, since sitting down was often like kryptonite for me.

Coworkers would often ask about this unique office set up. Sometimes I would explain why I reconfigured my work station. Yet other times, especially when I didn't want to deal with my health issues, I would not take the time to clarify much of anything because I didn't want to disclose my disability to every passerby.

Case in point, once a coworker asked, "Why are you standing up at your desk?"

Not really in the mood to describe the situation, I just said, "Because my computer is raised up on boxes."

Naturally, my coworker asked, "Well, why is your computer on boxes?"

I replied, "Because I'm standing up."

To find out how I endured these and other such office ordeals, order The Back Pain Avenger as an eBook now!