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 61 - 70 of 100 Records
Laboratory Retriever
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: This cartoon shows a group of people sitting around a lab table with scientific instruments in front of them. One person is in a wheelchair and a happy (tail-wagging) dog standing on it's hind legs with it's paws on the table is handing him an instrument with his mouth. The person in the wheelchair says, "Thanks!" The tag line reads, "Laboratory Retriever."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Typo?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two people talking, a man sitting behind a desk, and a woman standing on the other side of the desk. The woman is saying, "I think there is a typo in the job title next to this person's name." The man behind the desk says, "No. It's correct. Paraeducators are part of our new recruitment of unemployed actors. We can pay less for paraeducators because they don't hold a current membership to the screen guild." The tag line reads, "What happens when personnel availability and money get tight."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Black Hole
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a spaceship out in deep space heading for a black Hole. There is a sign on the edge of the Black Hole that reads, "Welcome to the Black Hole of Special Education." Someone on the spaceship says, "Captain, I've heard tales. But I thought they were myths!" To which the Captain replies, "Apparently not! Engineering, reverse thrusters Full Power!" The tag line reads, "Boldly not going where too many others have gone before!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Roots of Special Education
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows Rita tending to her garden of root vegetables. The image depicts a cross-section so you can see the roots growing under ground. Each different type of vegetable has a different label: (a) "Access," (b) "Individualization," (c) "Quality Instruction," and (d) "Meaningful Outcomes." The tag line reads, "Rita returns to dig up the roots of special education."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Weeds or Wildflowers?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a group of monks sitting in a circle in a field surrounds wildflowers in bloom. One of the monks says, "Master, speak to us of labeling." The Master replies, "Long ago, flowers had no names. Each was treasured for its unique beauty. Then someone decided to label some flowers as weeds and convince others that they were undesirable. Still today when people look, some see a weed, while others see a wild flower." The tag line reads, "What do you choose to see? Weeds or wildflowers?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Achieve All the Standards
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two school officials, a man on the left who is looking stressed and a woman to his right. The man is holding a huge stack of papers that rise from his waist to above his head. He is saying to the woman, "In order for students to achieve all the standards we'll have to extend the school day to 10 hours, the school year to 240 days, and the students will have to go to high school until age 24." The tag line reads, "School Officials Ponder Their Options: Adjust the standards, adjust the school program or adjust both."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Reasonable Affective Disorder
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a room of people sitting on chairs facing the front of the room where a panel of people sit behind a long table. A sign on the right of the frame says, "Welcome support Group Q & A." A man in the front row puts up his hand and asks, "At a meeting last February I encountered a person who was uncharacteristically sad, moody and unreasonable. How can I handle such a situations in the future?" A person on the panel replies, "Sounds like you encountered a variation on a common problem. For winter meetings, we suggest you bring one of these full spectrum lights." (which he has turned sending a light toward the audience). The tag line reads, "Consumers encounter staff with reasonable affective disorder."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Secret Wish
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman sitting on Santa's lap with a Christmas tree gifts in the background. There are children waiting in line to sit on Santa's lap too. Santa says, "You're a bit old for this, but go ahead and tell me your secret wish." The woman responds, "I'd like my child to have a teacher who is welcoming, inspires a love of learning, and sees the value in every child." The tag line reads, "Mary Beth's secret wish is shared by parents the world over." The tag line on the left reads, "Inspired by Mary Beth Doyle."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Grain of Salt
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a man sitting at a dinner table set with plate and utensils. On the plate are papers the top sheet is labeled, "Model Program Report: The greatest thing since sliced bread." The man is seasoning the report with a salt shaker. The tag line reads, "Whatever hype is served up, take it with at least a grain of salt."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Theatre of the Absurd
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two actors on a stage in a parody of Romeo & Juliet's iconic balcony scene. With Juliet in the balcony and Romeo below on one knee looking upward, Juliet says, "Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou with the money to educate the children with special needs?" To which Romeo replies, "Juliet, It is I. But I have only half of the money. The rest has been spent to assess, classify, label, sort and segregate." The tag line reads, "Theatre of the absurd."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks