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 71 - 80 of 228 Records
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
Don't Miss the Boat
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a boat filled with people leaving the dock. The name on the side is "SS Inclusion" There is a young man trying to step from the dock to the boat as it speeds away and looks as if he will fall in the water. The tag line reads, "Don’t miss the boat!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Building Blocks
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoons shows a Baby playing with large blocks, building a tower. The blocks have large letters on them, each with a word that begins with the corresponding letter. At the base of the tower, block "A" the word is for "Accountability" and "B" is "Belonging." The next layer of the tower "C" is "Collaboration" and D and is "Determination." The third layer has the block "E" for "Equity and the is placing the block," F for "Fun" on the top. The tag line reads, "Building Blocks of Teamwork."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Medical Model
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a fashion show runway with a crowd watching models walk down the runway together. At the end of the runway is an old, white-haired, woman wearing a pink dress and orthopedic shoes, walking with a quad-cane wearing a stethoscope around her neck and a headlamp. The younger models walking toward her are talking to each other. One says to the other, "They say she was a real beauty in her day!" To which the other responds, "She had her chance. The time is past due to make way for newer models." The tag line reads, "The Old Medical Model."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Marking Territory
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows people sniffing around the area like dogs. One man is sniffing a tree another is sniffing a fire hydrant, another is peeing on a lamp post and another is sniffing a fence. The tag line reads "Marking Their Territory team members in experimental therapy learn to overcome primitive behavior."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Search Committee
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: Four search committee members are seated at a round table. The first person says, "Any other suggested criteria for hiring a candidate for the position?" The second person who is holding up a book to show them called Ants in His Pants Absurdities and Realities of Special Education says, "I think we should show them a bunch of educational cartoons. If they laugh, they move on to the interview round; if not, it's ciao for now." The third person says, "O.K." The last persons says, "Sounds good." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Search committee members recognize that to be effective in schools it helps to have a good sense of humor."
- 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
International Flair
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a teacher talking with a high school student at a table. Their exchange of words starts with the teacher saying, "So that is your course of study for next year." The student replies, "Well, pardon my French but those courses 'Chez parle stinko vous!'" The teacher says, "That's not French!" The student says, "I know. If you'd let me take some real classes, maybe I could learn French." The tag line reads, "Rodney's self-advocacy takes on a decidedly international flair."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Shooting In The Dark
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a dart board in the upper right part of the panel there are 5 darts with suction cup tips heading toward the dart board. Each one has the word "Intervention" written on it with the numbers 1, 2 , 3, 4, or 5. The tag like reads, "Shooting in the dark: What happens when you select interventions without good assessment data."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Different Values and Eras
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two men. The man on the left is dressed in colonial era clothing waving a wooden ruler. He says, "That student needs a trip to the woodshed!" The man on the right has long hair is wearing paisley shirt with bell bottom pants and is holding his fingers in a peace sign. He says, "Chill man, we need to do something nonviolent." The tag line reads, "School staff find it challenging to develop a coherent behavior plan when their practices are reflective of different values and eras."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks