Disability rights activist Judy Heumann dies at age 75

March 6 (UPI) -- Judy Heumann, a lifelong disability rights activist who worked under two Democratic presidential administrations, has died at the age of 75.

Heumann died Saturday afternoon, a statement published to her website said.

Born in 1947 in Philadelphia, Heumann contracted polo at age two. She then surmounted obstacles just to attend school, eventually graduating from Long Island University in 1969 and then from the University of California, Berkeley, with a master's degree in public health in the 1970s.

Heumann spent much of her life dedicated fighting for the rights of those with disabilities, and served as assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services in the administration of President Bill Clinton. She also worked as the first special advisor for international disability rights at the State Department during the administration of President Barack Obama.

"Judy Heumann dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights -- starting as a young organizer at Camp Jened and later helping lead the disability rights movement," Obama tweeted on Sunday. "Michelle and I were fortunate to work with Judy over the years, and are thinking of her family and friends."

Camp Jened was a Catskills-based summer camp for people with disabilities that Heumann attended in the 1960s and where she worked as a camp counselor in the 1970s.

According to her website, several disability rights movement leaders came from the camp, which was the topic of the 2020 Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp.

In 1970, she sued the New York Board of Education after it refused to give her a teaching license because of her physical disability, and she won, becoming the first teacher in the state to use a wheelchair.

In the late 1970s, Heumann was instrumental in the signing and enactment of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits public institutions, universities or federal agencies from discriminating against disabled people.

In a statement on Sunday, President Joe Biden called Heumann "a trailblazer -- a rolling warrior -- for disability rights."

"Her courage and fierce advocacy resulted in the Rehabilitation Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act -- landmark achievements that increased access to education, the workplace, housing and more for people with disabilities," Biden said in a statement.

The president said he knew Heumann for "a long time" and had hosted a meeting with her in the White House when he was vice president during the Obama administration.

"Her legacy is an inspiration to all Americans, including many talented public servants with disabilities in my administration," he said.

"Jill and I send our deepest condolences to Judy's husband, Jorge Pineda, and their entire family."

Heumann had also served as co-chair of the Human Rights Watch's Disability Rights Advisory Committee and joined the board of directors in 2020.

"She was a role model for how fierce activism can transform the world, and schooled us on why inclusion matters," Amy Rao, co-chair of the Human Rights Watch board, said in a statement.

"She was a legend."