Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
Absurdities and Realities of Special Education: The University of Vermont Center for Digital Initiatives Collection is a complete set of all of the cartoons created by Michael Giangreco with the assistance of the artist Kevin Ruelle. This includes a total of 335 cartoons from four previously published books and searchable CD that went "out of print" in 2019 and a few newer cartoons. Michael Giangreco created the original ideas, text, and sketches for each cartoon and Kevin Ruelle redrew the sketches.
The cartoons in the first three books all were originally in black and white. That was a conscious decision, both for aesthetic and practical reasons. The cartoons were designed to be easily copied on to overhead transparencies for display in classes, workshops, and other learning environments. A group called Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) requested permission to use one of the cartoons on the cover of their magazine and subsequently colorized it. Prompted by Giangreco’s colleagues associated with ALLFIE, Giangreco and Ruelle began to colorize the rest of the images. In this complete digital collection, we have included a total of 335 different digital images; including the 315 different cartoons from the four earlier books, 12 cartoons that were on the CD only, and eight that were not included in any of the previously published books or CD.
Cartoons from the early books have found their way on to the pages of many newsletters disseminated by schools, parent groups, disability advocacy organizations, and professional associations. They have appeared in books, manuals, and journals; a few were even published in a law journal. The cartoons have been used extensively as projected slides or within learning activities in college classes, at conferences, in workshops, and at other meetings. Parents have framed cartoons that closely reflected their own experiences and hung them in their homes or offices. Other parents have used them in meetings with professionals to help get their points across. They have been given as gifts to people who "get it" and handed out as door prizes. The Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights used them as part of "Disability Awareness Day" at the Vermont legislature. The cartoons can be used in innumerable creative ways.
Showing 1 - 10 of 228 Records
1. Ants in His Pants
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This collection includes 111 color cartoon images from the book Ants in His Pants. Giangreco, M. F. (1998). Ants in his pants: Absurdities and realities of special education. Corwin. (out of print, 2019).
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
2. Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: This collection includes 105 color cartoon images from Flying by the Seat of Your Pants.
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
3. Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: This collection includes 101 color cartoon images from Teaching Old Logs New Tricks.
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
4. CD Only
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This collection includes 12 color cartoon images that were originally published on searchable CD: Giangreco, M. F. (2007). Absurdities and realities of special education: The complete digital set [searchable CD]. Corwin. (out of print, 2019). This subset of 12 cartoons were part of The Complete Digital Set on the CD that included 327 both color and black and white digital images of all of the cartoons in the three books/subcollections: (1) Ants in Pants..., (2) Flying by the Seat of Your Pants..., and (3) Teaching Old Logs New Tricks. The 12 cartoons in this subcollection were those not previously published in the earlier books.
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
5. Post CD
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-
- Date Created: 2010-2021
- Description: This collection includes 7 color cartoon images that were created between 2010-2021, after the publication of the books and CD.
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
Achieve All the Standards
-
Image nop
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two school officials, a man on the left who is looking stressed and a woman to his right. The man is holding a huge stack of papers that rise from his waist to above his head. He is saying to the woman, "In order for students to achieve all the standards we'll have to extend the school day to 10 hours, the school year to 240 days, and the students will have to go to high school until age 24." The tag line reads, "School Officials Ponder Their Options: Adjust the standards, adjust the school program or adjust both."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Adjustment Problem
-
Image nop
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically; they shows a man who is a school administrator calling Mrs. Jones from the school. The top panel is split in half. On the left half there is the administrator from the school on the phone saying, "Mrs. Jones we're having a problem at school. Sarah, Buzz, Roy, and Val seem to be having difficulty getting along with your daughter." On the right half of the panel Mrs. Jones says into the phone, "I'm so surprised! I thought she was getting along so well with her classmates!" The panel on the bottom is split the same as above and the administrator is saying "She is! Sarah, Buzz, Roy and Val are Adults." Mrs. Jones has a thought bubble with gray in it and she has a frown on her face. The tag line reads, "Adjustment Problems: 'Usually the adults, rarely the kids.'"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Airlifting
-
Image nop
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a helicopter hovering over a school building trying to lower a square box with the words "Special Class Approaches" into a round hole on the roof with the words "Regular Class" written around the edge of the hole. The tag line reads "Attempts at airlifting certain special approaches into regular class are unsuccessful, they just don't fit."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Amazing Maize
-
Image nop
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman standing at the edge of a large corn field holding a flag with a very long handle. There are two wooden signs. One reads, "Welcome to the Special Ed IEP Process" and the other says, "Please, Take a flag in case you get lost." There is a flag in the field to the left of the panel and someone hidden in the corn maize saying, "I'm back at the same place again." and another flag on the right side of the panel with a different hidden person saying, "Does this ever end?" The tag line reads, "The amazing special education maize."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
American Elvis Research Association
-
Image nop
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows an Elvis Impersonator in a star-spangled jumpsuit on a stage talking to a crowd of people. On the back wall of the stage is a sign that reads, "American Elvis Research Association" stacked vertically so the first letter of each word creates the acronym AERA. Elvis impersonator is saying into a microphone "Since the King's death the number of Elvis impersonators has increased exponentially. By the year 2005, one in four school-aged children will be Elvis impersonators and over half by 2010. Schools must be prepared. Thank you. Thank you very much." The tag line reads, "Faulty Research Logic." A acknowledgement tag line the left reads, "Inspired by Michael Hock and Cathy Quinn."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks