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 281 - 290 of 342 Records
Pants Down
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a special educator sitting at his desk writing and you can see that his pants are down around his ankles. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Rodney is caught with his pants down -- writing goals and objectives without family input."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Superwoman
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows a teacher at her clothes closet and selecting a Superwoman costume (with the classic red S). The tag line under the cartoon reads, "After having successfully taught students with a wide range of characteristics, Ms. Miller decided to adjust her wardrobe to match her teaching confidence."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
Perfect Teaching Assistant
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon has an octopus wearing glasses sitting across a desk from Mr. Moody. Mr. Moody says to the Octopus "You are hired you can start today!" The tag line for the cartoon is "After an exhaustive search, Mr. Moody finds the perfect teaching assistant for Mrs. Snippett."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a man wearing wings strapped to his arms crashing into the side of a brick building. The tag line reads "After trying to fly by the seat of his pants, Fred learned that good teaching requires good planning."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Molehills
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows three panels. In the first panel there is a man on the phone saying, "This morning there was a huge traffic Jam." In his thought bubble you see a four way stop with two other cars. In the second panel he is saying into the phone "Then I saw Jeff. He's put on so much weight!" In his thought bubble you now see Jeff just an ordinary guy average size. In the third panel he is saying into the phone "Did I tell you I have a student with a disability who is sooo much work. He really stands out!" In his thought bubble you see four students quietly doing their work. The tag line reads "Harry continues his efforts to gain admittance to the local 'Mountain Out of a Molehill' society."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Making you Talk
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a yellow door with a sign on it that reads "Speech/Language Pathology Office." Through the window in the door you can see three people. One man sitting at a desk across from a boy, who looks scared, and a woman, who looks angry, standing shining a light on the boy. The tag line reads "We have ways of making you talk!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Shoe Fetish
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman lying on a reclining chair with a wheelchair next to her. In the thought bubble above her head is an image of her as a child laying on a wedge pillow on the floor looking at four peoples legs with different types of shoes on. The tag line reads, "After months of psychotherapy, Sylvia retrieves repressed childhood memories of therapeutic positioning that explain her shoe fetish in adulthood."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Pinocchio's Cousin
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows three panels of a man sitting at a desk on the phone with a parent. In the first panel he is saying "I'm sorry, but we don't have any space available for you child with disabilities in our school." The second panel shows the man's nose getting longer and he is saying "Even if we did, we can't provide the necessary supports in a regular class." The third panel show his nose even longer and he is saying "We really don't have a choice. All students with severe disabilities have to go to the district's special program." The tag line reads "A distant cousin of Pinocchio discovers he has inherited one of his families recessive traits."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Incredibly Excessive Paperwork
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows two people in an office surrounded by tons of paperwork. A Man says to Mrs. Snippett, "No. It's 'Individual Education Program'." Mrs. Snippett responds, "You're kidding!" The tag line reads "Mrs. Snippett had long thought I.E.P. stood for 'Incredibly Excessive Paperwork.'"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
If You Can't Beat 'Em…
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows teachers and children playing at a play ground on a slide a swing set and playing frisbee. One teacher sliding down the slide with a child on his lap says to the other teacher on a swing, "You're right this is way better that what we used to do!" The teacher on the swing responds, "Way better!" The tag lines reads, "After the school district banned corporal punishment, staff decided on a new moto: 'If you can't beat 'em, Join 'em'."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants