I strongly agree with the idea that everyone should be accepted and respected no matter who they are. This theme is portrayed in "Joe From Idaho" by Patricia Friend. It is a short piece about a friendship the author shares with an autistic kid. His name is Joe and the teacher asks the author to help him from class to class. At first the author does not know he is autistic but learns that he is a nice, friendly guy. They become friends and the author finally finds out he is autistic when he gives a speech in front of the whole class and admits it. This does not change the author's view of Joe, but rather encourages her to tell the class that she has dyslexia. 
         A message is conveyed that it is okay to be different and no one should be ridiculed for that. I strongly agree with this because so many people are born with mental disabilities and disorders but it is not right to judge them based purely on that. Their disabilities do not represent who they are. The fact that Joe has autism does not bother the author because he is her friend. I can relate to this article as well because I have a ten-year-old cousin who has autism but I am not ahshamed of him and I hate it when people give him funny looks. After the author tells the class that she has dyslexia, Joe says, "Thank you for not being normal." This shows that there will always be people who like you for who you are and you should hang out with them instead of people who mistreat you just because you're different. This was a truly inspirational and uplifting piece for me and it conveyed a wonderful message. Thank you for writing this column, Patricia!