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 41 - 50 of 342 Records
Collaboration Myths
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two people in a room, one person is standing and the other is sitting at a table writing. The person standing is shocked by what he sees (the other person completing the IEP before the meeting with team has started) says, "What are you doing?! Don't you know doing that by yourself can make you go blind?!" The person seated at the table is turning red in he face (showing his embarrassment) and responds, "Really?! I was just trying to get some things taken care of before the team arrived." The tag line reads, "Disability myths spawn collaboration myths."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Long Arm of the Law
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a crowd of people at a conference. The title of the conference on a banner reads, "Welcome to the IDEA Violators Annual Conference." There is a sandwich board that reads, "Keynote: How to Avoid Compliance and Penalties at the Same Time." There is a long shadow of an arm reaching toward the crowd. The tag line reads, "When it comes to enforcing IDEA, The long arm of the law isn't long enough."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
One in a Million
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two women talking. The woman in the lower right side of the panel is asking the other woman, "Can you tell me about Jody's disabilities?" The other woman in the left side of the panel, Mrs. Smith, responds "Let's just say she's "One in a million, Literally." The tag line reads, "Mrs. Smith always looks for the positive ways to describe the uniqueness of each student."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Do As I Say
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a full classroom of university students with a professor at the front of the class. A student asks, "Professor, I know you said we should be merging Regular Ed and Special Ed into one unified system. Can you explain how you pulled it off at the University level?" The professor responds "Well, it's very challenging. We haven't actually been able to get the two sides to fully cooperate. But don't let our shortcomings hold you back." The tag line reads, "Do As I Say! Not As I Do!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Sustained Silent Breathing
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a group of educators having a meeting around a table. One of the men is saying, "We've identified an objective that will allow Davey to be included in all class activities." to which Mrs. Jones replies, "But this doesn't need to be a goal! He can already do this!" The tag line reads, " Mrs. Jones expresses her concern about the objective: 'During a variety of activities, Davey will demonstrate sustained silent breathing 100% of the time.'"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Atlas
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows a female paraprofessional in the classic Atlas pose, straining with great effort and strength to carry the world on her shoulders. On top of the world are 15 images of students meant to represent the range of diversity of students supported by paraprofessionals. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Can quality inclusive education be supported on the backs of paraprofessionals?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
Sex Therapy
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. The top panel shows a man a woman talking to each other and the woman hold a phallic shaped object in her hand. The man asks, "What is that thing?" The woman replies, "This is a battery operated vibrator. I use it in therapy to provide sensory stimulation." In the second panel with the same images the man says, "I didn't know sex therapy was a related service." The woman replies, "It's not. I'm talking about occupational therapy." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Fred continually struggles to understand the relevance of some therapeutic methods."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
Chained
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon shows a person whose wheelchair is chained to a block wall. Each large, heavy link of the chain is labeled with one of the following words or phrases: inadequate supports, segregated schooling, disability labels, inadequate transpiration, segregated housing, discrimination, stigma. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "None of us are free if one of us is chained." An acknowledgement on the left side of the cartoon reads, "Lyric by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weal, and Brenda Russell as sung by Ray Charles."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
Theory of Relativity
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2010-2013
- Description: This cartoon has four panels arranged in a square pattern. Each square is labeled for a different School (A, B, C & D) and shows a different person speaking for each school. In the middle of the cartoon (where the interior corners of the squares meet) is a small rectangle overlapping a bit on to all four squares that says, "Ratio of parapros to students with disabilities." In School A the ratio of parapros is 1:2, in School B it is 1:4, in School C it is 1:6, and School D it is 1:10. Despite the different ratios, the different people associated with each school all say the exact same thing (that is repeated in each of the four squares), "We are just getting by with the parapro resources we have. We couldn't possibly function with any less." The tag line under the cartoon. reads, "The Other Theory of Relativity."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Post CD
Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: This book includes 101 color cartoon images that were originally published in black and white in: Giangreco, M. F. (2000). Teaching old logs new tricks: Absurdities and realities of education. Corwin. (out of print, 2019)
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks