The word handicap (derived from a game of wagering in which participants put their hands in their caps and withdrew varying amounts of money) most often is used to mean "disadvantage" or "disability": "His thin voice is a handicap in speaking to large crowds." "The player was handicapped by bruised ribs." A hindrance is something that impedes, prevents, or stops; it acts as a check or restraint of some kind: "His lack of money is a hindrance in the development of his business." A severely handicapped child is hindered from pursuing the normal activities of children. You will discover, perhaps, that youth and inexperience are hindrances to finding a job, but neither is necessarily a handicap.
Dictionary of problem words and expressions. Harry Shaw. 1975.