A Friend Indeed Essay

I enjoyed Bill Sackter’s story in the documentary, A Friend Indeed. It showed me that although he had a hard past and mental deficiencies, he can overcome them, and make the most out of his life. With his positive and enjoyable attitude, he inspired many people; naturally gaining popularity for his personality. Back then, it was very different with the treatment of people with disabilities then it is now. If a child was disabled, they would be separated from their family and sent to an institution. In Bill’s case, he was taken from his family at the young age of seven. Bill never had any contact with his family ever since he was admitted to the institution. According to Bill’s stories, the institution was very harsh and violated many human rights. One story Bill shared with his friend explained why Bill always wanted to wear wigs. While giving a boy with epilepsy a bath, the boy began to have a seizure. Bill went to get an aid, but to his mistake, he went to the â€Å"mean† one. The aid grabbed Bill’s hair and threw him down the staircase; the hair still in the aid’s hand. This shocked and angered me on the horrible treatment disabled people were put through. It was extremely wrong to treat people like that; it completely violated human rights. I think that people have a predisposition to treat disabled people differently; and that’s wrong, in my opinion. In A Friend Indeed, Bill was working and doing things that mostly anyone can do; disabled or not. He proved that he could overcome his disadvantages. He became an inspirational figure while doing it, too. People should not give judgment to the disabled. The disabled are people, too, and should be treated on equal terms as everyone else.