For too long, disabled people in Britain have been denied access to employment. Now paid work is being presented as the only route out of poverty and dependence on the state. What is the reality? This report asks: does paid work bring disabled people the benefits they are led to expect, or does it have hidden disadvantages?; and can disabled people who are not able to work expect to enjoy a good standard of living? It compares the welfare states of Sweden, Germany and Britain on the basis of social policy provision for disabled people of working age, particularly in the area of income maintenance and employment policy and uses survey data to analyze the living standards of disabled people both in and out of work. The text shows that both employment and welfare policies have a vital role to play in securing a good standard of living and the report brings together policy and outcomes with recommendations for policy-makers.