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 1 - 2 of 2 Records
Extreme Team & Dream Team
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows two panels. The top panel is a group of educators sitting around a table with papers and pens in front of each person. A mans says, "Are we all here?" A woman at the table says, "Where do my goals go?" The man next to her says, "Are we ready to staple our parts together?" And then another woman at the table says, "Who's going to tell the parents what we decided?" The tag line for the top panel says, "Extreme Team." The lower panel has four people sitting at a table together. Each person has a piece of paper and a pen as well as pizza and drinks. One woman says, "Are we agreed on these common goals?" The man next to her says, "At our next meeting, let's continue with our adaptation planning." The next woman says, "Let's wrap it up by reviewing accomplishments and processing. Joan, thanks for bringing snacks!" The man next to her says, "I'll share this with the rest of my family!" The tag line for this panel reads "Dream Team."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
PT Dreams
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1998
- Description: This cartoon shows the face of a physical therapist asleep with eyes closed. Coming from the therapist's head is dream bubble; inside three larger cylindrical bolster and two parents. The mother says to the father, "What should we do tonight with the kids?" The father says, "Let's break out the bolsters, sit astride them, displace each other laterally and see if we can correct to midline." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Only in a Physical Therapist's Dream."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Ants in His Pants