Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
Collection Overview
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...
Show moreAbsurdities 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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- Title
- Crucial Test
- Date Created
- 2000
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a scene inside the offices of the Acme Lie Detectors Service. Two men sitting at a table across from each other. One of the men is attached to a lie detector machine which is recoding his responses -- he has wires attached to his arm, is holding a glass of water, and looking...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a scene inside the offices of the Acme Lie Detectors Service. Two men sitting at a table across from each other. One of the men is attached to a lie detector machine which is recoding his responses -- he has wires attached to his arm, is holding a glass of water, and looking nervous. The tester from the agency in a lab coat is looking at a monitor and writing something on the display. He asks, "Do you like Children?" The tag line reads, "Prospective teachers of the future will need to pass this crucial test." A tag line on the left reads, "Inspired by Eileen Cichosky Kelly."
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- Title
- Hardening of the Attitudes
- Date Created
- 2000
- Description
-
The cartoon shows an overweight, middle-aged man in his underwear sitting on an examining table in his doctor's office. The doctor is standing in front of him listening to the man's heart with a stethoscope. The man says to the doctor, "What is Doc? I can take it!" The doctor replies, "I'm afraid...
Show moreThe cartoon shows an overweight, middle-aged man in his underwear sitting on an examining table in his doctor's office. The doctor is standing in front of him listening to the man's heart with a stethoscope. The man says to the doctor, "What is Doc? I can take it!" The doctor replies, "I'm afraid you have a common affliction among veteran educators...Attituderial Asclerosis." The tag line reads, "Harry is diagnosed with hardening of the attitudes."
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- Title
- Molehills
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows three panels. In the first panel there is a man on the phone saying, "This morning there was a huge traffic Jam." In his thought bubble you see a four way stop with two other cars. In the second panel he is saying into the phone "Then I saw Jeff. He's put on so much weight!" In...
Show moreThe cartoon shows three panels. In the first panel there is a man on the phone saying, "This morning there was a huge traffic Jam." In his thought bubble you see a four way stop with two other cars. In the second panel he is saying into the phone "Then I saw Jeff. He's put on so much weight!" In his thought bubble you now see Jeff just an ordinary guy average size. In the third panel he is saying into the phone "Did I tell you I have a student with a disability who is sooo much work. He really stands out!" In his thought bubble you see four students quietly doing their work. The tag line reads "Harry continues his efforts to gain admittance to the local 'Mountain Out of a Molehill' society."
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- Title
- Weeds or Wildflowers?
- Date Created
- 2000
- Description
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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...
Show moreThe 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?"
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