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 11 - 20 of 24 Records
Learning Not to Make a Move
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon has four panels arranged in a square pattern. The images each show a student with a plate of food and utensils in front of him and a paraprofessional next to him. In the top left corner the paraprofessional says, "Pick up the spoon." The upper right panel shows the student with the spoon in his hand and the paraprofessional says, "Scoop the food." In the lower left panel the student has scooped the food and the paraprofessional says, "Now raise the spoon..." In the lower right panel as student has raised the spoon partially, the paraprofessional says, "To the mouth." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Rodney learns not to make a move until he is told."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
I Needed… They Gave Me...
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a person with hands together praying. In a thought bubble the person is thinking, "I needed moral support and they gave me an article to read. I needed an extra pair of hands and they gave a specialist once a month. I needed someone to demonstrate a method and told me I was doing a great job. I needed some information and they gave me an instructional assistant." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Match supports to needs continues to be an elusive experience for Harry."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Low Hurdles
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2010-2013
- Description: This cartoon shows three educators (dressed professionally) running in lanes on a track as they jump over hurdles. An administrator is standing on the inside of the track handing out justification forms as they race by and says, "Just fill out this nifty justification form to get a parapro." The professional in Lane 1 (closest to the administrator) while jumping over a hurdle reaches for a form and says, "No sweat, I can do that." The professional in Lane 2, while jumping over a hurdle says, "Me too!" The professional in Lane 3, while jumping over a hurdle says, "I'll take one of those." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Low Hurdles: Racing to Get a Parapro."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Post CD
Let me help you with that!
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a paraprofessional and student seated together at a table with no other students. The paraprofessional is happily working on a class project cutting materials with scissors as she says, Let me help you with that!" The student, with a disappointed look on her face and none of the materials available to her says, "But when do I get a turn?" The tag line under the cartoon reads, "After only two months as a teacher assistant, Gladys finds her spelling has improved, math skills are honed, and she has discovered she has artistic ability."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Typo?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two people talking, a man sitting behind a desk, and a woman standing on the other side of the desk. The woman is saying, "I think there is a typo in the job title next to this person's name." The man behind the desk says, "No. It's correct. Paraeducators are part of our new recruitment of unemployed actors. We can pay less for paraeducators because they don't hold a current membership to the screen guild." The tag line reads, "What happens when personnel availability and money get tight."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Parapro Door
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows a person who has opened a door with a sign over the top that says "Paraprofessional Issues." With door opened it reveals a cluttered mess of objects (e.g., ladder, bike, sports equipment) and boxes with labels including: self-determination, family issues, peer supports, teacher engagement, access to general education, teaching formats, special educator caseload. The person who has opened the door says, "Wow! I never realized all this was in here." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Going in through the paraprofessional door."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
School Lunch Atrocities
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a paraprofessional preparing lunch for a student with disabilities by dumping the entire school lunch into a blender, while saying, "Let's see, a cheeseburger, green beans, applesauce, and chocolate milk. Won't this be yummy? Into the blender it goes." In the foreground a student in a wheelchair looks very worried and classmate is bent over gagging while saying, "That's Gu-ross! You're not going to make him eat that?" The tag line below the cartoon reads, "School Lunch Atrocities."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Helping or Hovering?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon has four panels arranged in a square pattern. Each panel shows the same student in a wheelchair accompanied in close proximity by the same paraprofessional show in four different ways. In the upper left panel the paraprofessional is behind the student on a cloud with wings and a halo over her head with the label, "Guardian Angel." In the upper right panel the paraprofessional is behind the student and inside a giant horseshoe-shaped magnet with the label, "Super-Magnet." The lower panel left shows the paraprofessional attached to the student by stretchy adhesive with the label, "Stuck like glue." The lower right panel shows the paraprofessional in a flying device directly above the student with the label, "Hovercraft." The tag line blow the cartoon reads, "Helping or Hovering?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Escape Attempts
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a teacher at the chalkboard in front of a full class at individual desks arranged in U. The teacher says, "Class... Today we will continue our unit on the rain forest." A student with a disability and his one-to-one paraprofessional, who is standing immediately behind him, are positioned just a couple steps from the door to the hallway. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Fred's instructional assistant makes sure she and Fred are positioned close to an exit to make any escape attempts less conspicuous."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Burning Questions
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a paraprofessional looking distraught while holding some papers that are on fire and creating smoke. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Unfortunately, the teacher assistant's burning questions kept spontaneously combusting before they could be answered."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants