Baroness Masham, who set up the Spinal Injuries Association, has died aged 87.
A lifelong disability campaigner, Baroness Masham was a Paralympian swimming and table tennis medallist throughout the 1960s, and became a life peer in the House of Lords in 1970. She was the longest serving female member of the House of Lords ever.
The Spinal Injuries Association said it was "devastated to have lost our greatest champion". Baroness Masham became a wheelchair user after a spinal cord injury in 1958. She set up the Spinal Injuries Association in 1974.
Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK said: "Baroness Masham was a true pioneer, not only as one of Britain's first ever Paralympic medallists, but also as a passionate campaigner on disability rights. Her legacy will live on through the Spinal Injuries Association, which she founded in 1974, and through the countless lives she touched and improved throughout her remarkable life. She will be greatly missed, but her spirit and determination will continue to inspire future generations."