Actor Mickey Rooney (left) and Bill Sackter. Photo courtesy of Bill's Coffeeshop.

Cheers to RadioIowa for their story on the remodeling and grand reopening of Wild Bill’s Coffee Shop. To read the full story click here.

The coffee shop is a service learning project at the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa. It is operated by adults with disabilities.

The shop is named in honor of Bill Sackter, a man who lived almost 50 years in a Minnesota mental institution. Sackter eventually came to the University of Iowa, where he ran a small coffee service and became a local celebrity.

Actor Mickey Rooney portrayed Sackter in the 1981 film, “Bill.” The heartwarming television movie is credited with raising public awareness of people with mental disabilities.

To find out more about how social workers help people with disabilities, visit the National Association of Social Workers “Help Starts Here” Disabilities Web page by clicking here.