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 251 - 260 of 342 Records
Nth Degree
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a tee-shirt shop with a person in a wheelchair looking at the different shirts. The sign on the wall is labeled, "Nth Degree." There are three shirts tacked to the wall that read: (a) "Your attitude might be my biggest barrier." (b) "I am, therefore I matter." and (c) "Nothing about me without me!" The person in the wheelchair has a thought bubble that reads, "HMMMM...decisions decisions." The tag line reads, "Peter ponders over apparel to wear to his next IEP meeting." The acknowledgement tag line on the left reads, "Inspired by Dan Wilkins."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Hardening of the Attitudes
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows an overweight, middle-aged man in his underwear sitting on an examining table in his doctor's office. The doctor is standing in front of him listening to the man's heart with a stethoscope. The man says to the doctor, "What is Doc? I can take it!" The doctor replies, "I'm afraid you have a common affliction among veteran educators...Attituderial Asclerosis." The tag line reads, "Harry is diagnosed with hardening of the attitudes."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Trial by Fire
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows the door to the principal's office with a sign that reads, "Do not disturb. Interview in progress." Just in front of the door is a ring of fire and in front of the ring of fire are burning coals on the floor. A woman is standing by the coals holding a file. There are three people sitting at a table waiting and one woman, looking nervous and making the sound "Gulp!" as she walks toward the coals with her shoes in her hand. The woman holding the file says, "Right this way! The principal will see you now." The tag line reads, "Prospective employees go through a trial by fire to help determine their suitability for the realities of public school."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Make Every Link Strong
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a heavy, large-linked chain going diagonally from the lower left corner of the panel to the upper right corner of the panel. On each link of the chain are words. Starting at the first link bottom left and going up the words on the links are: (a) Choice, Control, (b) Meaningful Activities, Inclusive Places, (c) Meaningful, Relationships, (d) A Home, Now and in the Future, and (e) Health, Safety. The tag lines reads, "Valued Life Outcomes: Seeking to make every link strong."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Amazing Maize
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman standing at the edge of a large corn field holding a flag with a very long handle. There are two wooden signs. One reads, "Welcome to the Special Ed IEP Process" and the other says, "Please, Take a flag in case you get lost." There is a flag in the field to the left of the panel and someone hidden in the corn maize saying, "I'm back at the same place again." and another flag on the right side of the panel with a different hidden person saying, "Does this ever end?" The tag line reads, "The amazing special education maize."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Teacher Shortage
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman in a red dress standing in a spotlight with film crew around her. She is holding an apple and a script. In the lower left corner a director is holding a clapboard and saying, "Quiet on the set. Teacher Recruitment - Take 3. ACTION!" The woman says, "I'm not a teacher, but I play one at school, you can too." The tag line reads, "Unemployed actors are recruited to fill the national teacher shortage."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Band-Aid Approach
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman with short blonde hair and purple dress on the left side of the panel. She is a teacher. She is holding a green binder talking to a person-sized Band-Aid who is a paraprofessional. The teacher says, "Here's the deal: we've got lots of kids, too many who need extra help, too much paperwork, not enough planning time, and extensive staff development needs. Thank goodness you're here! Our problems are solved!" The Band-Aid responds, "I'll do what I can, but I can only do so much." The tag line reads, "Band-Aid Approach: Are we expecting too much of instructional assistants?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Fish
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a seafood market with a fish monger selling fish to a woman with a shopping cart. The tag line reads, "Supported employment lesson #6: Give a person a fish and that person eats for a day. Teach a person to work and that person can buy fish any day!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Theatre of the Absurd
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two actors on a stage in a parody of Romeo & Juliet's iconic balcony scene. With Juliet in the balcony and Romeo below on one knee looking upward, Juliet says, "Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou with the money to educate the children with special needs?" To which Romeo replies, "Juliet, It is I. But I have only half of the money. The rest has been spent to assess, classify, label, sort and segregate." The tag line reads, "Theatre of the absurd."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Heavenly Times
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows the front page of the newspaper Heavenly Times, each side of the title banner shows a winged angel trumpeting. The headline reads, "Scholar Turns Over in Grave, by C. U. Later." The story includes an image of the cemetery headstone of noted anthropologist, Margaret Mead, 1901-1978, R.I.P. The story reads as follows: "Dateline: Research Heaven. Since her death in 1978, world-renowned anthropologist, Margaret Mead, has been resting peacefully with the full knowledge that varied research methodologies have become increasingly utilized to better understand and improve the human condition. Mead's slumber was abruptly interrupted when federal legislation defined 'scientifically based research' in a manner that dramatically narrows the scope of educational inquiry. Sources close to Mead, report that she is so upset about the government's tampering with foundational research principles that she is organizing a purposeful sample of deceased researchers of various quantitative and qualitative methodological persuasions to peacefully protest this limiting definition by haunting government agencies that restrict or devalue diverse forms of research."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only