People with Disabilities helps readers move past the tendency to define and identify some people primarily by their disabilities. Rather than solely offering facts and descriptions, the book presents authentic, life-affirming, and informative stories about people, coupled with pictures, vignettes, and links to YouTube clips to bring their experiences to life.

The text is centered on three important themes. First, special education wouldn't exist without parents and advocates who wanted something better for their own children and others with disabilities. Second, people with disabilities are more similar to people without disabilities than they are different. Third, every person with a disability deserves support that is calibrated to their unique needs.

The second edition features fresh content as well as new chapters about people with disabilities in the justice system and the intersection of poverty and disability. In the first edition, disabilities were first discussed simply in terms of high incidence and low incidence, whereas in the new edition, they are presented in more detail according to type of disability: cognitive, communication and affect, physical and health, sensory and multiple.

People with Disabilities has been developed to support introductory courses in special education, disabilities, or human development, as well as courses for students in alternative licensure teacher education programs.