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 121 - 130 of 342 Records
Different Values and Eras
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two men. The man on the left is dressed in colonial era clothing waving a wooden ruler. He says, "That student needs a trip to the woodshed!" The man on the right has long hair is wearing paisley shirt with bell bottom pants and is holding his fingers in a peace sign. He says, "Chill man, we need to do something nonviolent." The tag line reads, "School staff find it challenging to develop a coherent behavior plan when their practices are reflective of different values and eras."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
It's a Jungle Out There!
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a sign in the front of a classroom room that says, "Welcome to first-year teacher orientation!" A group of first-year are teachers sitting at tables facing a man dressed in safari clothes, pith helmet, high boots, canteen on his shoulder, and a walking stick who is saying, "People, the jungle is a place of great beauty, but also presents many hazards for the uninitiated. You must learn to become one with the jungle and all its inhabitants." One of the new teachers is leaning over to the person next to him and saying, "Does he always dress in character and talk in metaphors?" The person replies, "I don't know, I'm just glad he didn't dress as Tarzan!" The tag line reads, "It's a jungle out there!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Hazards
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a golf course with people playing in all different areas. A player is in a water hazard labeled "Staffing." Another player is a sand trap labeled, "Funding." A third player is stuck in a patch of tall grass labeled, "Service Coordinator." Another is stuck among the trees, labeled "Bureaucracy," and is trying to hit toward the 18th hole. The tag line reads, "The hazards of transition planning are par for the course."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Trick Question
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows Mr. Moody (a school principal) meeting with a mother. She is saying, "We're trying to decide which school district is best for our daughter. So we want to know what you have: Inclusion? Inclusive Education? Or Full Inclusion?" Mr. Moody replies, "Ohhhh...I get it! It's a trick question right?!?" The tag line reads, "Mr. Moody continues to be befuddled by the lack of clear definition."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Nix Narrowing Normal
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2010-2013
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. The upper panel shows a large group of people positioned between two brick walls with plenty of space between them and the walls on either side. The group represents all manner of human diversity (e.g., age, race, gender identity, ability/disability) happily together with the word "NORMAL" under them with an arrowed line on each side pointing out toward the walls. One person seated in a wheelchair in the group says. "Keepin' it wide!" The lower panels shows the same group of people squished tightly and uncomfortably between the same two walls that have been pushed very close together by mechanical arms from both sides so that now the space available for "NORMAL" is so small that even the letters of the word are scrunched. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Nix Narrowing Normal."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Post CD
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
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
Zone of Proximal Confusion
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a group of professionals from different disciplines in the foreground talking with other. The occupational therapist says, "I need to be involved because of the fine motor aspects." The special education teacher says, I need to task analyze the steps and plan the instruction." The physical therapist says, "Body position and stability is critical." The orientation and mobility specialists says, "This is a skill I should really be involved in." The teacher says, "I think our classroom staff can take care of that." In the background are two young children. One says, "Thanks for helping me learn to zip up my coat Joey." The other child says, "No problem. I just learned myself." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Adventures in Zipping: Zone of Proximal Confusion."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
The Top Right Corner
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a student pointing to a cup in the top right corner of a two-row, six item, display which shows (from left to right) a book, ball and cup on the top row and a pencil chair, and spoon on the bottom row. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "After weeks of instruction, Susie learns that Cup means anything in the top right corner."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Secret Ballot
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows piece of paper labeled SECRET BALLOT. Under the heading it asks the question, "What Type of Team Do You Have?" Below that question are listed five options stacked vertically, each with a check box to the left. The options are "Ideal, Ambiguous Roles, Disorganized, Underperforming, and Overstructured." A hand holding a pencil has checked the box next to Ambiguous Roles. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "After months of public agreement and private disagreement, the team decides to find out what everyone is thinking."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants