Mathew McCollough Memorial Recognition Resolution of 2026

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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION

26-125

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

February 3, 2026

To recognize, honor, and remember the life of Mathew McCollough and his exceptional
advocacy for people with disabilities and devoted service to the United States and District
of Columbia.

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was born with cerebral palsy and was 14 years old when
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into federal law by President George H.
Bush in 1990;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was a resident of the District of Columbia for 25 years,
and a Ward 6 resident for much of that time;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough had a long and distinguished career working in disability
advocacy and public service;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough, began his career serving in U.S. Department of Justice;
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) from 2000 to 2002, and left because he observed there were
few employees like him who were from diverse, ethnic backgrounds and/or had a disability;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as a grants manager and trainer at the Association
of University Centers on Disabilities and National Service Inclusion Project, a training and
technical assistance provider that advocates on behalf of individuals with disabilities to fully
participate in service and civic-minded programs within their communities, from 2002 to 2008;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was recognized for his communication and training
expertise in the areas of education, diversity and sensitivity, cultural competency, and disability
issues;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served in the Office of Disability Rights (ODR) since the
agency was established;

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WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as ODR’s first Communications Manager for 2
years; from 2008 to 2010;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough, as Communications Manager, was lead coordinator to
enforce Section 508 web accessibility compliance of the DC.gov portal and to collect and
monitor the effectiveness of 19 agencies' Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance
plans and 108 facility assessments;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as the Executive Director of the DC Developmental
Disabilities Council (DC DDC), which promotes independence and equal opportunity for District
residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, for 7 years, from 2010 to 2017;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was the only Executive Director of a state developmental
disabilities council with developmental disabilities in the nation;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough, as Executive Director of DC DDC, supervised 2 staff
personnel and collaboratively worked with 15 District resident volunteers charged with
strengthening the voices of people with developmental disabilities and their families in support
of greater independence, empowerment, and the pursuit of life as they choose;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as the ODR Director for 8 years, after being
nominated by Mayor Muriel Bowser and confirmed unanimously by the Council of the District
of Columbia in 2017;

WHEREAS, during his confirmation hearing, Mr. McCollough’s record of providing
excellent advocacy, especially within the deaf community and his high degree understanding the
requirements and accommodations of people with disabilities were commended by Jarvis
Grindstaff, a Commissioner on the DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities;

WHEREAS, during his confirmation hearing, Mr. McCollough’s assistance setting up the
Hearing Loss Association of America’s DC Chapter and continued support was recognized by
Lon Rosenman, Vice President, Hearing Loss Association of America - DC Chapter;

WHEREAS, during his confirmation hearing, Mr. McCollough committed that his one
mission as ODR director is to “ensure that The District of Columbia serves as a model city of
accessibility for all who live and work in this great city and across the United States”;

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WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough, as ODR Director, led the development and
implementation of the 3 most recent three-year District Olmstead Plans; 2017 – 2020; 2021 –
2024; and 2025 – 2027; which provide a comprehensive, effective working plan to demonstrate
the District’s compliance with the ADA’s integration mandate, as clarified in the 1999 U.S.
Supreme Court Case Olmstead v. L.C., in which the Court ruled people with disabilities have the
right to live and receive care in the community rather than in an institutional setting;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough offered detailed and thoughtful testimony during the
agency’s performance and budget oversight hearings over 5 Council Periods and before 2
Committee Chairs;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough oversaw ODR’s partnership with the Department of
General Services to create a new category of ADA-related work orders to better and more
quickly resolve facilities issues that create accessibility barriers in District government spaces in
Fiscal Year 2025;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough oversaw the transition of the Office of Deaf, DeafBlind,
and Hard of Hearing into the Division of Deaf, DeafBlind, & Hard of Hearing within ODR in
Fiscal Year 2026;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough closed ODR staff meetings by saying, “Take care of each
other, and love each other”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough held memberships and positions of leadership on
numerous national and District boards and commissions;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as the Mayoral-appointed Government
Representative to the DC State Rehabilitation Council; from 2009 to 2025;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as the Chair of the DC State Rehabilitation
Council; from 2016 to 2017;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the
United States Access Board, an independent federal agency devoted to establishing accessibility
standards that promote the full integration and participation of people with disabilities, in 2011;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was reappointed by President Barack Obama to serve a
second term on the United States Access Board in 2015;

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WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough, nominated by the US. Department of Health and Human
Services Office of Minority Health to serve as a member of the Department’s Region III Health
Equity Council, from 2011 to 2016;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as a Commissioner on Human Rights; from 2012 to
2017;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as a Commissioner of the Serve DC Commission in
the Mayor’s Office of Volunteerism; from 2012 to 2018;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as a board member of the TASH- Equity,
Opportunity & Inclusion for People with Disabilities, which internationally advocates for human
rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support, from 2012 to 2015;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was a member of the Georgetown-Howard Universities
Center for Clinical and Translational Science Community Advisory Board; from 2012 to 2026;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served as the Board President of the National Association
of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), from 2016 to 2017;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough made history as the first NACDD Board President with
developmental disabilities;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough served on the District of Columbia's 44th, 45th, and 46th,
Presidential Inaugural Committee, reviewed and offered accessibility recommendations on the
Presidential Inaugural's Evacuation Walk-out Concept of Operations Plan, and provided ADA
compliance guidance to representatives from the National Presidential Inaugural Committee;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough achieved an impressive academic career, during which he
earned multiple awards and recognitions;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was received the Eagle Scout Award in 1991;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough graduated from James Madison University with a
Batchelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Middle School Education in 1999;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was inducted into the Alpha Phi Omega National Service
Fraternity in 1998;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough graduated from American University in 2004 with a
Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Management Consulting in
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2004, and noted during his confirmation hearing this degree “solidified my commitment and
purpose to serving all people with and without disabilities as a public servant”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha, Public
Administration National Honors Society in 2003;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was the Director and Chapter Founder of the Best Buddies
International, James Madison University from 1997 to 1999;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough held a staff faculty position at the Leadership Institute for
Cultural Diversity & Linguistic and Cultural Competence, from 2015 to 2017;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was inducted into the Susan M Daniels Mentoring Hall of
Fame Class of 2016;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough’s life and legacy were remembered and honored
throughout the District of Columbia upon the announcement of his passing;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was cherished and will be deeply missed by his wife,
Melissa McCollough, family, friends, and all those who loved him;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was admired by previous and current ODR employees and
leaves a great absence within the agency that has never existed without him;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough’s ODR colleagues reflected he “truly loved his work and
believed in the power of community” and that “[h]is heart was with the community first as he
prioritized programs and events that connected people with disabilities to important resources or
empowered them in their own advocacy journeys”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough’s ODR colleagues shared his love for “engaging with
young people and made the most of every chance to show them that they can, and should, take
on leadership and decision-making roles”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was remembered by Mayor Muriel Bowser, under whom
he served for 11 years, for serving “with extraordinary dedication and passion in public service”
and for a career that “reflected his deep belief in dignity, opportunity, and respect for every
individual”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was remembered by Councilmember Janeese Lewis
George, who chaired the committee that held oversight jurisdiction over ODR for the past 3

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years as a “fierce advocate for and recognized champion of people with disabilities” and for his
belief “legal compliance is the minimum — not maximum — standard for accessibility”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was remembered by Councilmember Charles Allen as a
fierce advocate, who spoke truth to power, and for his kindness and compassion when working
with elected officials and constituents;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was remembered by Councilmember Brianne Nadeau,
who chaired the committee that previously held oversight jurisdiction over ODR, as “kind,
funny, incredibly smart and deeply dedicated to the critical role of protecting the rights of people
with disabilities” and a “collaborative and transparent leader”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough was remembered by Councilmember Matthew Frumin as
“widely respected for his expertise, leadership, and commitment to public service”;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough’s legacy presses governments at all levels to reduce and
eliminate discrimination and barriers to access within the areas of employment, housing,
transportation, healthcare, and public services and spaces;

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough’s legacy encourages citizens of all abilities to identify and
remove ableism through intentional examination of individual and institutional values, attitudes,
beliefs, and actions; and

WHEREAS, Mr. McCollough’s decades of advocacy and service will continue to impact
and improve the lives of individuals with disabilities in the District of Columbia and United
States of America for decades to come.

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Mathew McCollough Memorial Recognition Resolution of
2026”.

Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes, honors, and remembers the life
of Mathew McCollough and his exceptional advocacy for people with disabilities and devoted
service to the United States and District of Columbia.

Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.