Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
Absurdities and Realities of Special Education: This 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 11 - 20 of 228 Records
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
What's Wrong with This Picture?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman looking at a picture on the wall with a question mark over her head. The picture on the wall shows a woman sitting at a table with three special needs students. She looks frazzled and the kids look out of control. The plaque on the picture frame reads, "A paraprofessional with limited training trying to teach students with the most complex challenges." The tag line reads, "What's wrong with this picture?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Shopping Around
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman and a man shopping . There is a banner at the top of the panel that reads, "New Cures and Therapies for Fun and Profit (ours)." There are two shelves of boxes. On the top shelf the boxes , form left to right, are labeled: "Subliminal Message Therapy," "Hydro Pudding Therapy," "Swedish Meatball Therapy," and "Kitchen Utensil Therapy." On the lower shelf, from left to right, the boxes are labeled: "Bungy Jumping Therapy," "Invisible Energy Therapy," and "Bladder Release Therapy." The woman says to the man, "WOW! Cool! Let's try 'em all!" and the man replies, "Do you think the school will pay for all of these?" The tag line reads, "Shopping Around: Do you know these people? They never met a therapy they didn't like."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Vegas Casinos
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman sitting in front of a slot machine with a drink sitting on top of the machine and a bunch of coins in her lap. The slot machine has two arms to pull one on each side of the machine. The tag line reads, "Vegas casinos buckle under political pressure to stop stereotyping disability characteristics as criminal by inventing the Two-Armed Bandit."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Tip of the Iceberg
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows the ship, the Titanic, coming from the left side of the panel running into an iceberg. Under the water is the sound "CRUNCH!" One of the shipmates says, "OOPS." The tip of the iceberg, above the waterline reads, "Para Ed Issues." Multiple parts of the iceberg below the surface of the water are labeled as: (a) Generic Services, (b) Teaching Formats, (c) Class Size, (d) Staff : Pupil Ratios, (e) Teacher Ownership, (f) Staff Training, (g) Special Ed Caseloads, (h) Paraeducator Roles, (i) Special Educator Roles, (j) and (k) Student Impact. The tag line reads, "Paraeducator Issues: Just the Tip of the iceberg."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Stone-Age Shaping
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows three panels with a father and son from the stone-age. In all the panels there is a fire with a bird cooking on a spit, a stone wheel, and a spear. The first panel shows the son and his father sitting near the fire. The Father asks, "Son, show me cooking." The son is pointing to the spear with a questions mark over his head. The father says "No you are cold." In the second panel the son points to the wheel and the father says, "You're getting warmer." In the third panel the son is pointing to the fire with the bird cooking over it and the father says, "You're Hot, Hot!" The tag line reads "Stone-Age origins of shaping."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Dry Heat
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a large group of people sitting around a table all talking at once. One person looks to the guy beside him and says "Is it me, or is there a lot of hot air in this room?" The guy responds "Yes, but it's a dry heat." The tag line reads "Alan always looks for the positive in every situation."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Job Coach
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows four people in a fast food restaurant. Two of the people, a young man and a job coach, are standing inside of a bright yellow field of light. And two men are standing just outside the field of light. The tag line reads, "Tim notices a mysterious force-field around his job coach that co-workers cannot penetrate."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants