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 221 - 228 of 228 Records
Let's Play Due Process
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows three people in the front of the frame in shadow listening to a man standing behind a podium. There is a sign on the wall behind the man at the podium that reads "Let's Play Due Process!" The man at the podium says "OK teams, let's review the rules..." The tag line reads "DUE PROCESS the game where everybody gets a turn, nobody has fun, and, even if you win, you feel like you've lost!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
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
4. CD Only
- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This collection includes 12 color cartoon images that were originally published on searchable CD: Giangreco, M. F. (2007). Absurdities and realities of special education: The complete digital set [searchable CD]. Corwin. (out of print, 2019). This subset of 12 cartoons were part of The Complete Digital Set on the CD that included 327 both color and black and white digital images of all of the cartoons in the three books/subcollections: (1) Ants in Pants..., (2) Flying by the Seat of Your Pants..., and (3) Teaching Old Logs New Tricks. The 12 cartoons in this subcollection were those not previously published in the earlier books.
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
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
Meet Half Way
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows a school principal standing in front of a classroom of parents. The banner on wall says, "Parent Teacher Organization: Beginning of the Year Q & A." One of the parents asks, "Mr. Marcotte, we've been hearing some stories from the kids about the new teacher that have us concerned." The principal replies, "Tell you what -- If you don't believe half of what the kids tell you about us, we won't believe half of what they tell us about you." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Parents and teachers meet half way." A note on left side reads, "Inspired by Rick Marcotte."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
Crocodile
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows two people, one being a paraprofessional and the other a colleague, walking down a stone-lined path toward the water's edge. As they approach the water the white stones lining the path turn into teeth and the path turns into a tongue as the two walk into a wide open mouth of a giant crocodile. The paraprofessional, with trepidation on her face says, "After such a brief training, am I really ready?" Her colleague assures her, "No worries. You've just completed our basic parapro training -- you're good to go!" The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Beware of the training trap, you could be eaten alive!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
Spotlight
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows a woman in a wheelchair working at a computer in an office with others. The scene is in low light and there is a spotlight over her work station illuminating it. Above her is says, "Shining a light on...." and just under her is word disability (with the dis in lower case the ability in capital letters). The way the spotlight is positioned it is only shining on ability. When read with the spotlight effect, the message is "Shining a light on ability." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Employment for All." A note of the line side of the cartoon reads, "Inspired by the Vermont APSE: The Network on Employment."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only