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 54 Records
Outnumbered?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a long table with a parent and his advocate seated at the near side (backs to the viewer). Across the table are ten professionals, each identified by a hat indicating their profession (e.g., OT, PT, SLP, Principal). One of the professionals says, "I'm not sure why Mr. Barth always feels compelled to bring an advocate to the IEP meeting." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Outnumbered?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Teaching Spectrum Disorder
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two parents sitting holding hands across a table from two educators, a man and a woman. The father is saying, "What have you learned from your evaluation? Why is Sam having such difficulty learning?" To which the woman educator says, "The good news is that Sam doesn't have learning disabilities! The bad news is his teacher has "Pervasive Developmental Teaching Delays." The tag line reads, "Sam's teacher is diagnosed with a 'Teaching Spectrum Disorder'."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Consumer Evaluation
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a classroom full of children and a teacher at the front of the class writing on the chalk board. On the back of the teacher's shirt is an advertisement with a truck with the logo and the text, "How's my teaching? Call 800-teach." The tag line reads, "Schools adopt consumer evaluation techniques form industry."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Supplies
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. In the top panel a smiling teacher greets a student who is wearing a backpack and says, "Hi Jimmy, welcome to the first day of school. I'm glad you brought your backpack with your supplies." In the second panel the same teacher now with a worried expression on her face greets a student with a disability and her mother who is pulling a long wagon filled high with all kinds of special equipment. The teacher says, "Hi Janie, Welcome to the first day of school. I see you've brought your supplies." Her mother says, "We'll bring the rest tomorrow." The tag line for the cartoon reads, "Mrs. Fine wonders if it is too late to request a larger classroom."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Mysteries of Friendship
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows two teachers talking to each other in the foreground. In the background are two students painting at an easel -- one is seated in a wheelchair and the other does not have a disability. One teacher says, "I don't get it. What does Keith see in Joey? He can't walk or talk, he needs help with everything, yet they're inseparable." The other teacher says, "Maybe part of being friends is liking a person for who they are -- not just what they can do." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mysteries of Friendship."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Cloning (Teacher)
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows one educator talking to another who is holding a test tube. The first educator asks, "What's in the test tube?" The other educator replies, "A small skin sample from Mrs. Keegan, she's a great teacher." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Despite the bio-ethical controversies Maggie favors human cloning." A note on the side indicates, "Inspired by Adelle Keegan."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
The Eagle Has Landed
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: Mrs. Snippett is standing by the door, in her classroom, speaking on the phone. There are students at desks in the background. The door is open and a student using a wheelchair enters. He says to her, "Hi. Mrs. Snippett. I'm your new student. Mrs. Snippet has her head turned an her hand shielding her mouth. She says into the phone, "The eagle has landed Houston. We have a problem." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "After years of eluding students with disabilities, one finally catches up with Mrs. Snippett.
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Adjustment Problem
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- 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
Hard Questions
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman and a man talking. The man is on the left side of the panel and is saying to the woman, "In our school there are some teachers who lecture to middle-achieving students. Do you really think that will work for students with special needs?" The woman responds, "Probably not. But ask yourself, 'Does that kind of teaching work for many other students?' Let's figure out how we can teach all the kids." The tag line under the image reads, "Answering questions with questions."
- 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