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.

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Miniature of Too Low a Criterion
Too Low a Criterion
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    • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
    • Date Created: 1998
    • Description: This cartoon shows a state trooper standing in front of his car talking to a teacher on the roadside while a student with disability is on the ground in the middle of the street injured with his wheelchair mangled. The trooper asks, "What happened here?" The teacher says, "I guess we used too low a criterion". The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mrs. Walker learns the hard way that sometimes 80% correct just isn't good enough."
    • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants
    Miniature of Lady Justice
    Lady Justice
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      • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
      • Date Created: 2007
      • Description: This cartoon shows a car driver's view of their external side mirror. Inside the car you only see the hand and arm of a white man wearing a suit and dress shirt on the steering wheel. In the mirror you see brown-skinned Lady Justice, blindfolded, in a purple wheelchair coming fast. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Objects in mirror are closer than they appear."
      • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
      Miniature of Placement Matters
      Placement Matters
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        • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
        • Date Created: 1999
        • Description: The cartoon shows a car driving away with a bird nest on the tire and the bird flapping her wings and trying to fly away. The tag line reads "Examples from nature remind us that placement really does matter." A note on the left says, "Inspired by a robin in my yard."
        • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
        Miniature of Character Education
        Character Education
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          • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
          • Date Created: 2000
          • Description: The cartoon shows a red car with a person sitting in the back driver's-side seat taping a note to the window. The note reads, "Warning! This is a nun's car. If you steal it, you may as well drive straight to hell. God Bless You." The tag line reads, "After a recent theft, Fred posts a warning for those who may not have had the benefit of character education." The acknowledgment tag line on the left reads, "Inspired by Sister Elizabeth Candon."
          • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
          Miniature of Parapro Supports
          Parapro Supports
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            • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
            • Date Created: 2010-2013
            • Description: This cartoon shows a teacher sitting across from an administrator at his desk. The teacher says, "I have a question about some classroom supports I need." The administrator replies, "To save us time, effort, and expense, I have predetermined a range of options to address all teacher support questions: 1. A full-time parapro, 2. A part-time parapro, 3. No parapro. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Parapro Supports: An answer, not the answer."
            • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Post CD