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 31 Records
Educational Jeopardy
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows the game show Jeopardy. The categories on the wall are "Grumpy People" "Big Battles, Little Battles" "You Did What?" "Can't Get There From Here." At the top of the panel it says "Your Child's in Educational Jeopardy." In the panel the game show host says "Janet, it's your turn." and Janet replies "I'll take Grumpy People for $100" the tag line reads "Parents find new ways to raise money for educationally related legal fees."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
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
PT Dreams
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows the face of a physical therapist asleep with eyes closed. Coming from the therapist's head is dream bubble; inside three larger cylindrical bolster and two parents. The mother says to the father, "What should we do tonight with the kids?" The father says, "Let's break out the bolsters, sit astride them, displace each other laterally and see if we can correct to midline." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Only in a Physical Therapist's Dream."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Family-Centered Approaches
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a group of educators sitting in chairs in a circle with a man and a woman sitting in the center of the circle back to back. The woman says to the man, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind." The man says "Me either." The tag line reads "Family - Centered approaches gone bad."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
A New Twist on School Bussing
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon has three panels; in all three a school administrator (Mr. Moody) is seated behind a desk with a parent in a chair across from him. In the first pane the parent says, "Mr. Moody, I'm very concerned that my son has been sent to 3 out-of-district schools in the past 5 years. In the second panel she asks, "How do you justify this practice?" and Mr. Moody replies, "Haven't you seen the district motto?" In the third panel he points to a sign embedded in an American flag which reads, "Join the Special Ed Program... See the County!" The tag line under the cartoon reads, "A new twist on school bussing."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Option Paralysis
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a principal of a school standing on the left side of the panel in an office with a woman in the lower right corner of the panel. There is a table and chairs and papers on the table. The principal holds a very long list and says "In planning your daughter's IEP, we'd like you to chose from this comprehensive list of 13,941 learning outcomes." The woman looks at the principal. She is overwhelmed and has with huge confused eyes. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mrs. Baker Experiences 'Option Paralysis'."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Fashionable Footwear
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman looking in the mirror wearing a pair of waders. The tag line reads "Mrs. Foster finds fashionable, functional footwear to attend her daughter's due process hearing."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Unaccustomed to Good News
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. The top panel shows two people talking on the phone to each other, a principal at school and a mother at home. The principal says, "Mrs. Blue, Byron broke and old record at school today." The mother replies, "I'm very sorry. We'll pay for it. I know the school doesn't have enough money for CDs." In the second frame, the principal says, "You don't understand. He broke a school record for the greatest flexibility in our P.E. program." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mrs. Blue is woefully unaccustomed to good news."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Asleep/Awake
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon has two panels. The top panel shows a students a student sitting in a wheelchair sleeping (with Zzzzzzz coming from her nose) -- the setting is labeled "Special Class." The lower panel, which is labeled "Regular Class" shows the same student, awake and alert interacting with two classmates. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "After ruling out a medical reason, Bobby Sue's parents come to the conclusion that there's just a lot more to be awake for in regular class."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Name that Discipline
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows three parents next to each other standing behind podiums labeled, Parent 1, 2 and 3; behind them is the name of the game show they are playing, "Name that Discipline." Parent number 1 says, "I can name that discipline in one goal!" The show's host says, "OK, Here's you next clue: Sally will increase bilateral lip posturing, lip movement and lateralization." The tag line below the cartoon reads, "Having suffered through excessive exposure to professionals, parents look for fun ways of coping."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants