Handicapped people are one of the most marginalized groups in a society and come across serious barriers in an access to each domain of a social life. The barriers are both functional limitations as well as environmental barriers, which make the greatest obstacle in a social participation. A new approach to this group of people appeared, they were started to be treated as unused potential. It is associated with the fact that budgets of the countries are burdened with services for the handicapped people, on the other hand it grows from a movement on behalf of the human rights and from defining a handicap as a category of the human rights. In the article there was undertaken an attempt to answer the question: „Are the handicapped people recipients of the social aid and burden for a society or will they become rightful, active citizens?”. An answer to this question is a key issue and requires reflection. For acceptance of a certain point of view results with the specific proposals of solutions. Work makes a basic level of social integration. People deprived of work compose a main group threatened with a social exclusion. Considerations conducted in the article allow to create a statement that the main goal of the social and economic policy of the Union and its members is a promotion of employment. In the first period of membership situation of the handicapped people in Poland can even get worse. A fundamental task, it seems, should be proper implementation of the union standards in our country. Cooperation of all levels of administration and undertaking of social initiatives as well as activity of the handicapped people themselves are essential. From this in a great measure depends whether a chance will turn into reality and generally positive balance of our membership will result in a higher standard of living and perspectives of development.