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THE DEPARTMENT ON DISABILITY SERVICES WELCOMES NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR REHABILITATION SERVICES

Monday, November 28, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC—Dr. Pamela Downing-Hosten has joined the Department on Disability Services (DDS) as the Deputy Director for the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). Dr. Downing-Hosten is the former director of secondary transition with D.C. Public Schools. In that role, she oversaw the opening of the River Terrace Education Campus and Workforce Development Center, which prepares students with disabilities for postsecondary opportunities. She was also responsible for creating partnerships between all District schools—public, private, charter—and local businesses to put students on the pathways to self-sufficiency and independence.

A graduate of Howard, George Washington, and Northern Virginia Southeastern universities, Downing-Hosten has dedicated her career to education, serving more than 20 years with the Prince George’s County School System in Maryland as a teacher, magnet coordinator, and director of special education. She spent two years as the assistant superintendent of student services for the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto, California. Downing-Hosten replaces Andrew Reese who now serves as the director of the Department on Disability Services. Reese commented that Downing-Hosten brings strong program management, and organizational and outreach skills to DDS. Said Reese: “We look forward to the talent and innovation that Dr. Downing-Hosten will bring to our agency to ensure that all people with disabilities have opportunities for successful employment and a pathway to the middle class.”

The DDS Rehabilitation Services Administration provides vocational and rehabilitative services to individuals with disabilities to help them prepare for, secure, regain or retain employment. To be eligible for VR services, a person must have a physical or mental impairment that is a substantial impediment to employment. Priority is given to those individuals who have the most significant disabilities. Learn more by visiting the DDS website at www.dds.dc.gov.