Loeffler, 76, was one of the founder members of the British Paralympic Association (BPA) and is a former chairman, and now vice-president of Wheelpower, a charity based at the National Centre for Disability Sport in Stoke Mandeville.

She said: "I'm extremely honoured to have been recognised.

"I have always had an interest in disabled sport."

Sir Ludwig, a neurologist who was working with World War Two veterans with spinal injuries at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, began using sport as a vital part of the rehabilitation programmes of his patients.  

Started in 1948, these became known as the Stoke Mandeville Games.

In 1952 competitors from the Netherlands took part in the competition, giving an international notion to the movement.

In 1960, the Olympics were held in Rome, and Sir Ludwig brought 400 wheelchair athletes to the Olympic city to compete. 

Although officially called the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, the Paralympics were born.  

The first Winter Paralympics were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976.

From those early days a world-wide sports movement has developed for not only those with spinal injuries but also many other different types of disability.

Loeffler said: "My father founded the Paralympic Games and it was part of my life, growing up, ever since the age of 12.

"After he died they asked me to join the committee for what was then called the British Paralympic Sports Association and I was very proud to accept."

Shirley Hughes, the chief executive of Cerebal Palsy Sport, a founder member of the BPA, has also been awarded an OBE, while Susan Clark, who has spent 33 years teaching disabled children to swim in Stockton-on-Tees, receives an MBE.