The nearly 200,000 'hidden' people in Greater Manchester

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

There are nearly 200,000 'hidden' disabled people in Greater Manchester, new data suggests. The number of people who are considered disabled under the Equality Act is far higher than the number of those claiming a disability benefit, the statistics show.

It suggests that more than a third of the disabled population in the city-region are not receiving support. In total, 525,975 people in Greater Manchester are registered disabled in census records.

But only 334,545 receive a disability benefit. READ MORE: Manchester Evening News campaign could lead to change, minister says It comes as the Manchester Evening News marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today (December 3) with the Represent the 24 per cent campaign.

Government data suggests that 24 per cent of the UK population are living with a disability. According to census records, up to 20 per cent of the population are disabled in some parts of Greater Manchester.