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 91 - 100 of 101 Records
This is a Test
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a classroom with students at desks and a teacher at the front of the class. In the upper right corner is a loud speaker announcing, "This is a test! For the next 16 years we will be conducting a test of the Emergency Educational System. In case of an actual educational emergency, you would have been directed where to go to school in your area." The tag line reads, "Remember, this is only a test!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Balancing Act
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows scales. The top bar of the scales says, "Quality Education" the scale on the left says, "Academic/Functional" and the one on the right says, "Social/Personal." There are gold coins on each scale and there is a hand coming down from the top of the panel with another coin to place in one of the scales. The tag line reads, "It's a balancing act!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Wavelength
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a machine with knobs and a speaker that records and displays wavelengths. There are yellow waves crossing the monitor. On parallel (non-intersecting) waves displayed on the monitor are people trying to get to from their different wave lengths on to the same one. The tag line reads, "Team effectiveness requires all the members to get on the same wavelength."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Standards Protest
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The carton shows people in the foreground picketing with signs that say, "Put your money where your mouth is!" "Students for adult accountability," "Students against revisionist history." "Why, when I was a kid…", "Fairness in standards now!" In the upper left corner of the panel in the background are two men in suits. One man says to the other, "Thank goodness we made it through school before the standards movement!" The tag line reads, "Standards are adjusted after the legislature considers a bill requiring school board members to pass the same assessments given to students."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Clearing a Path
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a school with children waiting at the bottom of the stairs for a school custodian to shovel the snow so that they can get into the building. A student in a wheelchair asks the custodian, "Could you please shovel the ramp?" he replies, "All these other kids are waiting to use the stairs. When I get through shoveling them off then I will clear the ramp for you." The student in the wheelchair replies back, "But if you shovel the ramp we can all get in!" The tag line reads, "Clearing a path for people with special needs clears the path for everyone!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Successful Inservice Training
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a room with a number of people at tables for a workshop. There is an overhead projector and screen at the front of the room. A box on the floor is labeled "Yummy Candy." There is a woman talking to the person who will be doing the workshop. She says, "Everything is set for the workshop as you requested. But why 50 pounds of candy?" The presenter replies, "Never underestimate the power of chocolate." The tag line reads, "The real key to successful inservice training." A tag line on side of the cartoon reads, "Inspired by my friends in Iceland."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
No Dumping!
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a large red circle with a diagonal slash across an image of a dump truck that is dumping kids with disabilities at the front door of a school. The sign on the truck says, "We Haul That's All" The woman at the front of the school is yelling, "Hey Wait!" and the truck driver says back to her, "Sorry, supports not included in cost of delivery." The tag lines reads, "NO DUMPING!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Born to be Filed
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: This cartoon shows a bearded biker wearing a black leather jacket with a skull and crossbones on the back sitting on his motorcycle while placing a file folder in a file cabinet. One file says, "No one's ever going to see us again are they?" Another file folder replies, "Nope!" In the background a rock band consisting of two guitar players and a drummer are signing to the melody of Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild, although the words have been changed to: "Get your motor runnin'. Head out on the highway. Lookin' for adventure in whatever comes our way. BORN TO BE FILED!" The tag line reads, "Teammates engage in their annual pot-IEP completion ritual."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Last straw
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a two-humped camel and a person standing on a stool loading files onto the camels back in the space between the humps. The load is so heavy that the camel yells out, "Ouch! My Back!" The person putting the files on its back says, "Just one more!" The tag line reads, "Practice preventing problems: Find out what the last straw will be before it's too late."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Waiver Clinic
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a man sitting on a bed in a doctors office. A nurse is standing next to him taking his pulse. She says to the man, "Great!" You have a pulse! You're just the kind of person we're looking for!" The tag line reads, "Emergency teacher certification waiver clinic."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks