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
- Rocket Science
- Date Created
- 1998
- Description
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This cartoon shows a teacher at a chalkboard where he has written a long, complicated equation next to a drawing of a rocket. He says to his colleague, "Here's my plan to include James in a regular class -- it's based on a NASA model." His colleague replies, "It doesn't have to be so complicated....
Show moreThis cartoon shows a teacher at a chalkboard where he has written a long, complicated equation next to a drawing of a rocket. He says to his colleague, "Here's my plan to include James in a regular class -- it's based on a NASA model." His colleague replies, "It doesn't have to be so complicated." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Frank learns that inclusion doesn't have to be rocket science."
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- Title
- Small Print
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a document titled "Mission Statement." There is a large magnifying glass over a section of the document that enlarge the words "child," "except," "for" and "students." The top of the document reads, "All children can learn, are welcome." Some of the title is under the magnifying...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a document titled "Mission Statement." There is a large magnifying glass over a section of the document that enlarge the words "child," "except," "for" and "students." The top of the document reads, "All children can learn, are welcome." Some of the title is under the magnifying glass. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Fred was shocked when he read the small print."
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- Title
- Snailville
- Date Created
- 1998
- Description
-
This cartoon shows two giant snails sitting in chairs at a table with paperwork in front of each of them. The first snail says, "Those inclusive education radicals want everything yesterday. What do they expect?!" The second snail says, "I know what you mean, we've only had LRE provisions in the...
Show moreThis cartoon shows two giant snails sitting in chairs at a table with paperwork in front of each of them. The first snail says, "Those inclusive education radicals want everything yesterday. What do they expect?!" The second snail says, "I know what you mean, we've only had LRE provisions in the law since 1975!" The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Administrators at Snailville School lament the speed of change." A note on the side indicates, "Inspired by Alan Gartner and Dorothy Kerzner Lipsky with help from Melanie Giangreco."
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- Title
- Subtle Reminder
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a classroom with kids sitting at their desks and an Elephant in the corner of the room with a sign on its trunk that says "Remember to include my child!!" The teacher saying "I don't see an elephant in the room…do you?" and another person in the room says "No...I don't either......
Show moreThe cartoon shows a classroom with kids sitting at their desks and an Elephant in the corner of the room with a sign on its trunk that says "Remember to include my child!!" The teacher saying "I don't see an elephant in the room…do you?" and another person in the room says "No...I don't either..." The tag line reads "After meetings, phone calls, and letters had failed, one parent tried a subtle reminder."
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- Title
- Swimming Lessons
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
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The cartoon shows three panels. The top panel shows kids playing in a pool with a ball and a man standing at the side of the pool talking to a small child. He is saying "Stop! You can't swim so you are not allowed in the pool!" A small caption in the lower right corner of the panel reads "Long...
Show moreThe cartoon shows three panels. The top panel shows kids playing in a pool with a ball and a man standing at the side of the pool talking to a small child. He is saying "Stop! You can't swim so you are not allowed in the pool!" A small caption in the lower right corner of the panel reads "Long Ago." The second panel shows two men throwing a child into a pool. The child is yelling, "AHHHH" The one man says "We'll throw you in. You'll either sink or swim." A small caption in the right corner of the panel reads "Not so long ago." The third panel shows two guys in a pool one has a inner tube on and the other one is helping him. The helper says "We'll start your swimming lessons with some fun activities and supports that we'll fade out later." A small caption in the right lower corner reads "Today" The tag line reads "The evolution of swimming lessons: surprisingly similar to the evolution of including students with disabilities in general education."
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- Title
- A Tale of Two Schools
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon has two panels, top and bottom. The top panel shows two people across a table from each other. The person to the right has two large stacks of books next to him. The person to the left says, "Are we ready to include students with more severe disabilities in regular class?." The second...
Show moreThe cartoon has two panels, top and bottom. The top panel shows two people across a table from each other. The person to the right has two large stacks of books next to him. The person to the left says, "Are we ready to include students with more severe disabilities in regular class?." The second person says, "As soon as I finish reading these books on inclusion and draft our long-range plan... We should be ready in 7 or 8 years." The bottom panel has two people facing each other, both holding a piece of paper. The person on the left says, "I'm sure glad we got started including and supporting all our students in regular classes." The person to the right says, "Me too! I know we'll learn things along the way from our success and mistakes." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "A tale of two schools."
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- Title
- Up on the Right Side of Bed
- Date Created
- 1998
- Description
-
This cartoon has four panels. In the first panel a school administrator (Mr. Moody) is sound asleep in his bed a home. In the second panel two colleagues sneak into his room and turn his bed, while he sleeps, around so it is facing the opposite direction. In the third panel Mr. Moody awakens,...
Show moreThis cartoon has four panels. In the first panel a school administrator (Mr. Moody) is sound asleep in his bed a home. In the second panel two colleagues sneak into his room and turn his bed, while he sleeps, around so it is facing the opposite direction. In the third panel Mr. Moody awakens, gets out of bed and stands while stretching both arms high above his head and says, "Aah!" In the fourth panel Mr. Moody arrives at his office at school and says to his assistant (seated at a desk using a computer), "Let's start including and supporting all our students!" The assistant looks confused. The tag line under the cartoon reads, "As a last resort, school staff found a way to help Mr. Moody get up on the right side of the bed."
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