Creating Welcoming Environments for Workers with Disabilities: Managing Cognitive Demand

Document is a comic with multiple panels. There are two scenes in the comic. Each scene represents a different scenario.

Scene 1: New job, scenario 1. When cognitive demand is not managed.

Panel 1: Employee is cheerful throws his hands up in excitement about a new job; New job is written above the man’s head.

Panel 2: His employer is barking commands and looks angry, “Day 1, cook! Day 2, sweep! Day 3, cash register. Day 4—more, more, more!”.

Panel 3: Employee looks distressed. He puts his hand on his face, covering his eyes, and exclaims, “Everything is a different task! I don’t have time to learn to do anything well!”.

Panel 4: Comic cuts to angry employer, “You clearly can’t do the job!”.

Scene 2: New job, scenario 2. When cognitive demand is managed.

Panel 1: Employer presents himself in a warm and welcoming manner, “You will be responsible for a number of different tasks. What is the best way to support your training?”.

Panel 2: Employee looks relieved and responds when she is asked how she can be best supported, “It helps me to learn and master one task at a time, before moving to the next”.