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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Pages
- Title
- Option Paralysis
- 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...
Show moreThe 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'."
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- Title
- PEACE
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows two people dressed in shirts that have half a peace signs on them. They are standing with an arm around each others shoulders so that the peace sign is whole. They have flowers in their hair and are showing the peace sign with their free hands. The tag line reads "Purposeful,...
Show moreThe cartoon shows two people dressed in shirts that have half a peace signs on them. They are standing with an arm around each others shoulders so that the peace sign is whole. They have flowers in their hair and are showing the peace sign with their free hands. The tag line reads "Purposeful, Educational Accommodations, Creating, Excellence" the first letter of each word spell out PEACE. The note on the left says, "Inspired by Melanie Giangreco & Amanda Dana"
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- Title
- Pedaling
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a man working hard riding a bike. He is holding the brakes on and there is smoke coming from the brake pads. There are two turtles in the foreground of the panel walking a little faster than the bike rider and looking up at him. The tag line reads "Generating and evaluating...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a man working hard riding a bike. He is holding the brakes on and there is smoke coming from the brake pads. There are two turtles in the foreground of the panel walking a little faster than the bike rider and looking up at him. The tag line reads "Generating and evaluating ideas simultaneously is like trying to ride a bike by pedaling with the brakes on."
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- Title
- Perfect Teaching Assistant
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon has an octopus wearing glasses sitting across a desk from Mr. Moody. Mr. Moody says to the Octopus "You are hired you can start today!" The tag line for the cartoon is "After an exhaustive search, Mr. Moody finds the perfect teaching assistant for Mrs. Snippett."
- Title
- Periscope
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows two panels. In the first panel there is a man sitting in a wheelchair looking at everyone's legs. The second panel shows the man in the wheelchair with a periscope and all the faces and upper parts of the other peoples bodies. The tagline reads "Joe thinks a periscope should...
Show moreThe cartoon shows two panels. In the first panel there is a man sitting in a wheelchair looking at everyone's legs. The second panel shows the man in the wheelchair with a periscope and all the faces and upper parts of the other peoples bodies. The tagline reads "Joe thinks a periscope should come as standard equipment with every wheelchair."
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- Title
- Pinocchio's Cousin
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows three panels of a man sitting at a desk on the phone with a parent. In the first panel he is saying "I'm sorry, but we don't have any space available for you child with disabilities in our school." The second panel shows the man's nose getting longer and he is saying "Even if we...
Show moreThe cartoon shows three panels of a man sitting at a desk on the phone with a parent. In the first panel he is saying "I'm sorry, but we don't have any space available for you child with disabilities in our school." The second panel shows the man's nose getting longer and he is saying "Even if we did, we can't provide the necessary supports in a regular class." The third panel show his nose even longer and he is saying "We really don't have a choice. All students with severe disabilities have to go to the district's special program." The tag line reads "A distant cousin of Pinocchio discovers he has inherited one of his families recessive traits."
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- Title
- Placement Matters
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
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The cartoon shows a car driving away with a bird nest on the tire and the bird flapping her wings and trying to fly away. The tag line reads "Examples from nature remind us that placement really does matter." A note on the left says, "Inspired by a robin in my yard."
- Title
- Placement Problem #32
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a classroom of students with one very large older boy sitting with all the other younger children. The tag lines reads "Placement problem #32: Functioning level rather than chronological age."
- Title
- Poultry Puns
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a teacher in front of a class full of students. The students all have their hands up and they are all saying, "I'm done!" the teacher responds with, "Turkeys are 'done' people are 'finished!' Based on you work, I should give you all 'Goose eggs!' But since I'm 'Mr. Eggstra-nice...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a teacher in front of a class full of students. The students all have their hands up and they are all saying, "I'm done!" the teacher responds with, "Turkeys are 'done' people are 'finished!' Based on you work, I should give you all 'Goose eggs!' But since I'm 'Mr. Eggstra-nice-guy,' I'll let you do it over!" the tag line reads, "What happens when teachers become obsessed with poultry puns."
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- Title
- Pumped Up
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
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The cartoon shows a woman lifting weights on a barbell. The tag line reads "Mrs. Hart gets pumped up about teaching a full range of students, because even though it's hard work, the results really show."
- Title
- Raw Data
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a man and woman in a room with an oven. The woman is taking a baking dish full of papers out of the oven. The Man on the left side of the panel asks, "What are you doing with our student data?" The woman answers, "When I started, it was raw data. It's still not done." The tag...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a man and woman in a room with an oven. The woman is taking a baking dish full of papers out of the oven. The Man on the left side of the panel asks, "What are you doing with our student data?" The woman answers, "When I started, it was raw data. It's still not done." The tag line reads "Student data is extremely valuable-but not if it's half-baked."
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- Title
- Recycling
- 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."
- Title
- School Calendar
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
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The cartoon shows two people, a man and woman, looking at the school calendar. The man is pointing at the calendar and says to the woman "Have you seen the proposed school calendar? We have 10 days for teaching and 185 days for testing." The woman replies "Well, at least it's fewer lessons to...
Show moreThe cartoon shows two people, a man and woman, looking at the school calendar. The man is pointing at the calendar and says to the woman "Have you seen the proposed school calendar? We have 10 days for teaching and 185 days for testing." The woman replies "Well, at least it's fewer lessons to plan." The tag line reads "Based on current political trends, within two decades 95% of the school year will be devoted to testing."
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- Title
- School Psychologists
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a table with testing kits and fire extinguishers. Two women are in the panel and one person outside the panel says, "Hurry up! We've got a problem!" One woman rushes toward the voice carrying a fire extinguisher and testing kit saying, "I'm coming!" The women near the table...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a table with testing kits and fire extinguishers. Two women are in the panel and one person outside the panel says, "Hurry up! We've got a problem!" One woman rushes toward the voice carrying a fire extinguisher and testing kit saying, "I'm coming!" The women near the table calls out, "Next!" The tag line reads "All of the district's school psychologists are supplied with equipment to carry out their two most common functions."
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- Title
- Search Committee
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
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Four search committee members are seated at a round table. The first person says, "Any other suggested criteria for hiring a candidate for the position?" The second person who is holding up a book to show them called Ants in His Pants Absurdities and Realities of Special Education says, "I think...
Show moreFour search committee members are seated at a round table. The first person says, "Any other suggested criteria for hiring a candidate for the position?" The second person who is holding up a book to show them called Ants in His Pants Absurdities and Realities of Special Education says, "I think we should show them a bunch of educational cartoons. If they laugh, they move on to the interview round; if not, it's ciao for now." The third person says, "O.K." The last persons says, "Sounds good." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Search committee members recognize that to be effective in schools it helps to have a good sense of humor."
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- Title
- The Shadow
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows two children walking down a sidewalk in a neighborhood. There are two houses coming up to their left at the end of a split rail fence. There is a street drain on the right with a small puddle and a large shadow of a person behind the children. One child says to the other, "I...
Show moreThe cartoon shows two children walking down a sidewalk in a neighborhood. There are two houses coming up to their left at the end of a split rail fence. There is a street drain on the right with a small puddle and a large shadow of a person behind the children. One child says to the other, "I feel like I am being followed." The other child says, "You're just being paranoid." The tag line reads "The Shadow Knows: Rodney's suspicions were accurate. Unbeknownst to him, a paraprofessional had been assigned to be his shadow."
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- Title
- Shoe Fetish
- Date Created
- 1999
- Description
-
The cartoon shows a woman lying on a reclining chair with a wheelchair next to her. In the thought bubble above her head is an image of her as a child laying on a wedge pillow on the floor looking at four peoples legs with different types of shoes on. The tag line reads, "After months of...
Show moreThe cartoon shows a woman lying on a reclining chair with a wheelchair next to her. In the thought bubble above her head is an image of her as a child laying on a wedge pillow on the floor looking at four peoples legs with different types of shoes on. The tag line reads, "After months of psychotherapy, Sylvia retrieves repressed childhood memories of therapeutic positioning that explain her shoe fetish in adulthood."
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- Title
- Slim Plan
- 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...
Show moreThe 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."
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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
- Stone-Age Shaping
- 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...
Show moreThe 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."
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