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
- 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
- Space Jam / Space Maker
- Date Created
- 1998
- Description
-
This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. The top panel shows a school administrator talking on the phone while sitting at his desk looking very relaxed (feet up, leaning back in his chair, glasses up on his head, and drink with a straw). He says to a parent on the phone, "I'm sorry Mrs....
Show moreThis cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. The top panel shows a school administrator talking on the phone while sitting at his desk looking very relaxed (feet up, leaning back in his chair, glasses up on his head, and drink with a straw). He says to a parent on the phone, "I'm sorry Mrs. Brown, but we simply don't have enough space in our school to accommodate your child with special needs -- but we'll find a place in a nearby district..." The tag line under this top panel reads, "Space Jam." In the bottom panel a colleague says to the administrator, "It looks like we're going to have an extra kindergarten class next fall. Where will we put them?" The administrator is on the move as he says, "We'll figure something out. Put the music class on wheels, art on a cart, and get a portable if necessary." The tag line under this bottom panel reads, "Space Maker."
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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
-
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
- Used Car Sales Seminar
- Date Created
- 1998
- Description
-
This cartoon shows a school administrator (Mr. Moody) seated behind a desk with a parent in a chair across from him. He says to her, "Mrs. Smith, I realize that on the surface it doesn't seem to make any sense to place your son -- who has behavior challenges -- in a class with 6 other aggressive,...
Show moreThis cartoon shows a school administrator (Mr. Moody) seated behind a desk with a parent in a chair across from him. He says to her, "Mrs. Smith, I realize that on the surface it doesn't seem to make any sense to place your son -- who has behavior challenges -- in a class with 6 other aggressive, anti-social boys. But trust me. I'm a professional. This is my business." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Mr. Moody tries out a new technique after getting lost at a national education conference and spending a week at a used car sales seminar."
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- Title
- Wheel of Misfortune
- Date Created
- 1998
- Description
-
This cartoon shows a game show host about to spin a wheel which is labeled, "Wheel of Misfortune: Severe Disabilities School Version), while his smiling assistant directs the audiences attention to the wheel. The pie-shaped sections on the wheel include 6 categories 3 of which take up a total of...
Show moreThis cartoon shows a game show host about to spin a wheel which is labeled, "Wheel of Misfortune: Severe Disabilities School Version), while his smiling assistant directs the audiences attention to the wheel. The pie-shaped sections on the wheel include 6 categories 3 of which take up a total of 75% of the wheel, 25% each (Special Education Class in District, Special Education Class Out of District, Special Education School). Two categories each take up 10% of the wheel (Home-Based Instruction & Special Education Class in Neighborhood School). The final category, Regular Class with Support, takes up only 5% of the wheel.
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