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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Showing 1 - 10 of 13 Records

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13 still image

9 1999 4 2000
Miniature of Tenacious Advocate
Tenacious Advocate
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    • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
    • Date Created: 1999
    • Description: A parent, (Mrs. Green) is seated a cross a table from her child's IEP team. Her arm is reaching behind her, aimed toward a life-sized cardboard replica of an advocate, who is holding up a document labeled IDEA. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mrs. Green resorts to bringing a life-sized cardboard replica of the county's most tenacious advocate to her child's IEP meeting. "Inspired by Marilyn Wessels"
    • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
    Miniature of Mail Order Diplomas
    Mail Order Diplomas
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      • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
      • Date Created: 1999
      • Description: The cartoon shows an open book of matches. On the inside cover of the matchbook is written. "HOCUS - POCUS U. (M M IT'S LIKE MAGIC! M M) If you have a stamp and a credit card, we're your school! Earn your diploma by mail without ever leaving home! Now offering: PH.D. Master's, Bachelor's, GED," and written in a yellow star, "New IEP Diploma!!! Earn Credit for your life experience." Tag line reads, "Mail order Universities add the increasingly popular IEP diploma to their offerings."
      • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
      Miniature of Piece of Cake
      Piece of Cake
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        • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
        • Date Created: 2000
        • Description: The cartoon shows two teachers standing to the right side of the panel with their backs to a gigantic piece of layer cake, the size of a three-story building. On the top icing of the cake is written, "Other Duties." The top layer of cake it labeled, "IEP," the icing between the layers is labeled "Meetings," the middle layer is labeled "504," another layer of icing labeled "Meetings," and the bottom layer labeled "At Risk." One of the teachers is saying to the other, "Don't worry about your caseload this year. It's a piece of cake!" To which the other teacher responds "Thanks!" The tag line reads, "How much cake can one person eat?"
        • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
        Miniature of Pants down
        Pants down
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          • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
          • Date Created: 2000
          • Description: The cartoon shows a man with his pants down around his ankles wearing blue boxers with red hearts on them. He has a file in his hand and papers have fallen out on the floor that are labeled, "IEP." The man is saying "OOOOPS!" The tag line reads, "Are you prepared for all your students? Don't be caught with your pants down!"
          • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
          Miniature of Option Paralysis
          Option Paralysis
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            • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
            • Date Created: 1999
            • Description: The cartoon shows a principal of a school standing on the left side of the panel in an office with a woman in the lower right corner of the panel. There is a table and chairs and papers on the table. The principal holds a very long list and says "In planning your daughter's IEP, we'd like you to chose from this comprehensive list of 13,941 learning outcomes." The woman looks at the principal. She is overwhelmed and has with huge confused eyes. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mrs. Baker Experiences 'Option Paralysis'."
            • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
            Miniature of Mr. IEP
            Mr. IEP
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              • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
              • Date Created: 1999
              • Description: The cartoon shows a coffee maker and instructions how to make an IEP with it. The cartoon says "Introducing‚ĶMr. IEP 1. Insert student needs packet (shows putting coffee filter into the coffee maker) 2. Pour in 8 cups of possible IEP goals (shows water pouring into the back of the coffee maker) 3. Turn On Mr. IEP (shows where to turn on the coffee maker) Enjoy perfect IEPs every time!" The tag line reads "Special educators invent misguided automated approaches."
              • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
              Miniature of Recycling
              Recycling
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                • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
                • Date Created: 1999
                • Description: The cartoon shows two educators talking in front of a filing cabinet. The woman says "Tom's IEP is due soon. What should we do?" The man responds "No sweat. I've saved every IEP I've ever written over the past 15 years. Pick one and we'll go from there." The tag line reads, "Recycling Gone Bad."
                • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
                Miniature of Slim Plan
                Slim Plan
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                  • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
                  • Date Created: 1999
                  • Description: The cartoon shows three panels. In the first panel is a woman happy and smiling. The caption at the top of the panel reads "I lost inches and pounds off my IEPs using slim plan. You can too." The lower left panel shows "Before" the same woman is holding a huge pile of papers in the panel it reads, "My IEPs were bloated, thick, and weak. I had unwanted inches and unsightly goals and objectives." The panel on the right says "After" and shows the happy woman again and reads "Now my IEPs are slim, lean and strong. I feel better and I have more energy." the tag line reads "Helen helps herself have healthier habits."
                  • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
                  Miniature of Amazing Maize
                  Amazing Maize
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                    • Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
                    • Date Created: 2000
                    • Description: The cartoon shows a woman standing at the edge of a large corn field holding a flag with a very long handle. There are two wooden signs. One reads, "Welcome to the Special Ed IEP Process" and the other says, "Please, Take a flag in case you get lost." There is a flag in the field to the left of the panel and someone hidden in the corn maize saying, "I'm back at the same place again." and another flag on the right side of the panel with a different hidden person saying, "Does this ever end?" The tag line reads, "The amazing special education maize."
                    • Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
                    Miniature of Incredibly Excessive Paperwork
                    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