Giant-Size Silly Daddy Does Not Feature King Kong

Ink pens and markers on 11" x 8.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011.

A man in a wheelchair on top of a big city building explains, "People with disabilities are the largest minority."

Towering over the horizon, a giant-sized gorilla asks, "What about me?"

The man replies, "You’re just large."

While giant monsters like King Kong, created by Merian C. Cooper, and Godzilla, created by Tomoyuki Tanaka, are fictional, it is quite true that people with disabilities are the largest minority in the United States of America. Like many fictional monsters, people with disabilities are often misunderstood and have a long history of being mistreated. Disability awareness, combined with brotherly love, can counter some of the unfair treatment that still exists in our society for people with disabilities.

The numbers alone make a compelling case to pay more serious attention to this group. There are 54 million people in the USA who have a disability, according to the US Census Bureau (2005). That means one out of every five persons in the country is disabled. This is a significant number, highlighting that people with disabilities represent a rich diversity of individuals, and a class of people to be thoughtful and respectful toward.

Moreover, in 2010, the World Health Organization said there were one billion people with disabilities on the planet. This is important to consider, showing that disability cuts across all races, continents, and countries. On a more personal level, it's likely that most people have a parent, sibling, friend or other family member that has or did have a disability. Taking into account accidents and sudden illnesses, disability can happen to anyone at any time. If you live long enough, it is likely you too will become disabled. Yet take heart--it is not likely that you'll ever be shot down by airplanes on top of a skyscraper. Sorry, King Kong.

For more on disability issues from a Silly Daddy perspective, read my ebook/comic book "The Back Pain Avenger."

Bigfoot Is a Person

Webcomic is a 8.5" x 5.5" drawing on paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011.

Consider the plight of the man know as Bigfoot. "Help! It's Bigfoot!" cried a lumberjack who scrambled up a tree in great fear at the sight of the wilderness giant.

The giant replied, "I'm not Bigfoot. I'm just a person with large feet."

However odd a person might look, people have a basic desire to be regarded as people first. Nevertheless, the "People First Movement," while clearly defined, has not yet caught on in a widespread manner. Therefore, I have observed much discriminatory behavior firsthand in life as well as in my decade-long career helping other people with disabilities find jobs. Sadly, when someone is labeled as "disabled," the false assumption people typically make is that the person with a disability won't be as useful, and could even be a problem to deal with. Because of these powerful stereotypes, I would often promote the hiring of people with disabilities as if I wasn't one of them.

For the full story, read my ebook/comic book "The Back Pain Avenger."

Great Feats of Silly Daddy

When an acrobat does a handstand on a ball, an onlooker says, "That's quite an amazing feat!"

A kid on top of her father's shoulders looks at the acrobat's feet just whirling about in the air and asks, "What's so great about his feet?"

In the real life sketch that this comic was derived from, the acrobat was actually balancing on one leg of a chair at the theater. The show was called "Traces," and it really was amazing.

Here at Silly Daddy comics, you'll find entirely family friendly entertainment. By moving through the archives here, you can read a free online comic book that will keep you in the Silly Daddy webcomic universe for days, if not weeks on end.

Comics is an ink pen and markers drawing on 5.5" x 8.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011

The Very First Security Guard Ever

Comic is an ink pen and marker drawing on 8.5" x 5.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011.

I almost called this comic "The First Avenger," but something tells me that such a marvellous title was already taken. The scene takes place at a human resources office. A super-built fellow with wings says, "I'd like to apply for the security guard position."

From behind her computer, the hiring manager looks over an old scroll and says, "Hmm... it says on your resume that you guarded Eden after Adam and Eve got kicked out. Do you have any references for that?"

Inquiring about the Garden of Eden

My comic about a supernatural security officer came about because I have a lot of unanswered questions that I imagine God will explain in paradise. Specifically, I was wondering about the nature of the cherubim that God posted to the east of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. That's from Genesis 3:23-24: "So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life."

So many questions come to mind about the Garden of Eden and the expulsion;

• Are guards still posted outside the Garden of Eden?
• Do the guards look like the cherubim described with great intensity in the book of Ezekiel? See Ezekiel chapter 1 and 10.
• Did the guards like their job guarding the Garden of Eden? Was it a pretty slow job, with the world being sparsely populated? If it was a slow job, what would the guards do to pass the time?
• Did Adam and Eve ever try to talk God or the guard into letting them back into the Garden?
• Were the animals kicked out too? Or did they stay there? If some animals did stay there, would they live forever?
• Was a guard holding the flaming sword or was the flaming sword flashing back and forth in mid-air, propelled solely by the power of God?
• The New American Standard Bible, in Genesis 3:24, says that God "...stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life." After reading this version carefully, could it mean that directions were actually "turned" in a supernatural manner, similar to the sort of hidden dimensions often imagined by fiction writers?
• Where is Eden now? Has Eden been transported off of Planet Earth to some heavenly location, or is it still on Earth yet the guards confuse or reroute anyone or any technology coming close to the location.
• In Revelation 2:7, the tree of life is "in the paradise of God." Does that mean that the Garden of Eden is another name for the paradise of God, or did God just move the tree?
• Did the serpent also eat the forbidden fruit as well? I ask because the serpent in the Garden is not mentioned as having eaten from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" when Eve and Adam ate from it.
• Unlike the "tree of life," which is mentioned a number of other times in the Bible, the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" is not mentioned again after the expulsion of Adam and Eve. What happened to that tree? Will it be in paradise too? Or is there no need for it any more?

I realize that some of these questions might be trivial in the larger scheme of things, as in, "I just want to get to heaven!" However, pondering on our origins and the ingenuity of our creator increases my faith. I liken such thought to the many times the prophets say to "meditate" on God's ways. Psalm 77:12 sums it up: "I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds."

Fun Job Placement for Person with Intellectual Disability

Later...

Ink pens and markers on 2 pieces of 8.5" x 5.5" paper by Joe Chiappetta 2011

Job placement for people with intellectual disabilities can sometimes be challenging, yet other times, I have known it to be fun and exciting. In panel 1, a job seeker says to his employment specialist, "I have an intellectual disability and I need a job. I love movies and I'm very organized."

The employment specialist (that's me) says, "The library has movies. Do you want to work there?"

The job seeker asks, "Would that ever lead to me becoming a movie director?"

The employment specialist replies, "No. But you get paid every week."

The job seeker eagerly asks, "When can I start?"

In panel 2 the scene switches to a middle-aged library supervisor, who says, "Hiring someone with an intellectual disability works for our library. He's been here almost ten years as a page. He's not like the other youth who sass back. He takes correction very well. Yes, that youth... he's a success story. You know, I used to be young once."

Typically viewed under the category of Developmental Disability, the term "Intellectual Disability" is defined as significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior. Practically speaking, that means the person has challenges in one or more of the following areas: Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Social Problem Solving, Responsibility, Time/Money Usage, Daily Personal Care, and Safety.

Here are some communication tips to consider when working with people with intellectual disabilities.

• Speak to the person in clear sentences, using simple words and direct phrases. Example: "Let's walk around the workplace to see what jobs are done here." Not, "Let's tour the facility to observe the plethora of functions that are being performed."
• Talk to adults with intellectual disabilities as adults, even if their voice doesn't sound like what you might be expecting. Offer the same level of respect that you would like to have individuals talk to you. Adjust the pace and level of words you use by what you are hearing from the person.
• Ask the person what the best way is to relay information. Some people process verbal information better than written information and vice versa.
• Many people (like me) are more visual learners. If they watch you do something it will be easier for them to learn how to do the task. Show how to do the work.
• Some people (like me) need repetition. That is to show tasks over again several times before they can learn a task. Once they learn they will know the job. Don't rely on just telling the person how to do something. Be patient. Remember we all learn in different ways.
• Pictures of step-by-step work functions can be useful.
• Quiet environments may make it easier to concentrate.
• Some people with developmental disabilities can be somewhat naive about some social situations. Example: explain what can be done during a work break.
• Consider the environmental distractions: Some people may have difficulty filtering out background stimuli (talking, radios, the sound of someone walking through the office, lights, etc.).
• When a person becomes "off-track" due to focusing on other stimuli, assist them to focus by bringing their attention to you, and then assist them to re-focus by talking about the task at hand. Show how the task is done. Example: "Did you have a question? Here are orders that need to be packaged."
• Provide structured conversation. With small talk, when finished, be direct about what is supposed to happen next. Example: "I've got to get back to work. What are you going to do now?" This helps the person think about what to do next on the job.
• Always be patient. It may take longer for a person with a developmental disability to make a decision and learn a task but in the end, these individuals will make great employees and enjoyable co-workers.