This paper aims to show how drama therapy workshops, the Lublin "teatroterapia," can be used as a method of rehabilitation for the mentally handicapped. It serves the crucial purpose of social participation, giving people who are often rejected and misunderstood by society an opportunity to be involved in creative activities. The idea nurtured by these workshops is reflected in the so called "theatre manifesto" of mentally handicapped individuals, which underlines equal rights for people with intellectual disabilities regarding their creativity and participation both in culture and art. Theatre therapy also facilitates their social and emotional development. The participants are intellectually disabled persons over 15 years old, who agree to be engaged. Lublin's "teatroterapia" workshops collaborate with many public institutions such as health centers, schools, day care facilities, cultural centers, local authorities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We include excerpts from the disabled actors' personal narratives. Through success in theatre therapy, learned helplessness can be prevented.