Lindsay Gething, author of Person to Person, A Guide for Professionals Working with People with Disabilities, provides an overview of attitudes and beliefs the community and service providers may possess toward people with disabilities. The book stresses the importance of successful interaction between service providers and people with disabilities. Gething illustrates throughout her book the need for service providers to understand various types of disabilities. Additionally, and most importantly, the author addresses how society's view about disabilities can have an impact on how disabled people view themselves.

Gething describes various aspects affecting how people live with their disability. These include type, cause, severity, age of onset, and visibility vs. invisibility of the particular disability (pp. 5-8; ch. 1). These aspects have different effects on how the person with a disability may view their own disability. The author applied Kübler-Ross's (1969) five stages of bereavement to the disabilities described in the book. The five stages are shock, denial/bargaining, anger, depression and acceptance. These stages also appear to exist in the lives of family and friends of people with disabilities. Kübler-Ross's (1969) believes that for a disability to be accepted by the person or their family members, they must work through all five stages. He also suggests that the time spent in each stage vary with each individual. Some may never reach the last stage (p. 8-9; ch. 1). The family and friends reactions to the person with a disability, and the subsequent adjustments, can have an impact on how the individual views their disability and how the disability will affect their life (pp. 14-15; ch. 1).

The author describes the principles that service providers should remember when working with individuals with disabilities and their families. People first, disability second, should be a major philosophy for all service providers. All people with disabilities experience the same emotions and needs everyone experiences. Service providers need to comprehend the person's disability. Not only that, they need to be aware of what physical and emotional barriers are associated with the disability. The stage of bereavement the person with a disability or family member is in may sway how they wish to receive services (pp. 32-33; ch. 2).

Gething describes each disability and details all the aspects of the person with a disability's life. Personal adjustment, sexuality, being a parent, family, community living, access, education, employment, appropriate behaviors, and strategies for interaction are just a few of the topics covered. These topics represent some of the emotional barriers that affect people with disabilities. Society's views of these topics influence how the person with a disability perceives himself. The medical information she provides about the disability itself is in understandable terms.

The appropriate language, behaviors and strategies for interaction showed a link that crosses the spectrum of disabilities. All people with disabilities deserve respect and patience just as everyone deserves. Additionally, how the person with a disability interacts with the service provider can affect the interaction itself. The author presents the book in a way that people with disabilities will show respect to the service provider as well. The service provider needs to remember the five stages of bereavement. Depending on what stage the person with a disability or family is in will affect the interaction itself. For example, if the person with a disability is in the anger stage, this will alter their perception for the involvement of the service provider.

Most interesting is how service providers can modify the beliefs and stereotypes the community has toward people with disabilities. Service providers can either hinder or improve the attitudes and beliefs people with disabilities may possess about their own disability, in addition to the attitudes of people in the community. Service providers who act appropriately and interact with understanding, not pity, empower the person with the disability and their family members. This, in turn, aids in self-actualization and subsequent self-advocacy. The combination of self-advocacy and positive attitudes of service professionals will help the implementation of new legislation for people with disabilities. New legislation is needed to provide better access and equality for people with disabilities.

Gething did an outstanding job in explaining the different disabilities she speaks of in her book. The spectrum of disabilities she covers demonstrates the realm of barriers that may afflict a person with a disability. The concise and straightforward approach of the book gives the service provider the knowledge needed when working with people who have disabilities.