DURHAM, N.H. – On Tuesday, March 6, 2018, Dr. Therese Willkomm received the 2018 Faculty Award from the University of New Hampshire’s President’s Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities. The award is given to people who foster “understanding of the issues, building a community of inclusion, raising awareness through your insight and action, and increasing opportunity and access for people with disabilities and in gratitude for your work.”

In giving Dr. Willkomm the award, the commission commended her for her work as Director of NH Statewide Assistive Technology with the Institute on Disability, and going "above and beyond" what her positions required in helping guild a community of universal access and opportunity.

Dr. Willkomm received the Award along with UNH Student group Friends in Action for its work in partnership with the Durham Community Church and their Echo Thrift Shop.

Therese Willkomm, Ph.D., ATP, directs the NH Statewide Assistive Technology (ATinNH) program with the Institute on Disability and is a clinical associate professor in the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Occupational Therapy. Known internationally as “The MacGyver of Assistive Technology” and more recently as an expert in iPad modifications and apps for individuals with disabilities, Dr. Willkomm has provided AT services for over 30 years. During that time, she has designed and fabricated over 1,200 solutions for individuals with disabilities including her patented A.T. Pad Stand, a multi-use assistive technology mounting device to provide hands-free holding solutions for individuals who experience paralysis. She has appeared on RFD TV, CNN, NPR Science Friday and has received numerous honors and awards including being invited to speak at the 2016 White House Summit on Technology and Disability. For more information visit www.atinnh.org.

The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to promote full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons by strengthening communities and advancing policy and systems change, promising practices, education, and research. For more information, visit www.iod.unh.edu.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.