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Careers›Roles›Disability Counselor
Mid-Level

Disability Counselor

You help people with disabilities build the lives and careers they want — assessing needs, connecting them to resources, and counseling through the practical and emotional barriers. Support centered on possibility, not limitation.

Career Level
Junior
Mid
Senior
Director
VP
Executive
Work Personality
S
E
C
I
A
R
Socialhelping, teaching
Enterprisingleading, persuading
Based on Holland Code framework
Industries that often hire Disability Counselors
Entertainment & MediaHealthcare · 74%Government · 20%Education · 2%Consumer Services · 1%Professional Services · 1%
Job markets for Disability Counselors
Where Disability Counselor jobs concentrate · ~268 metro areas
Based on employment in related occupations
Mapped SOC categories:
Social Services
BLS Occupational Employment Statistics
Jump to:What it's likeCareer pathsBy the numbers

While you’re learning about the Disability Counselor role, anything we can help you with this week?

What it's like

What it's like to be a Disability Counselor

The work means one-on-one counseling, assessing goals and barriers, and connecting people to training, jobs, or services. You build long relationships, document progress, and coordinate with employers and agencies. A lot of the job is helping someone see what's possible — then walking the practical path there with them.

What's hard is the barriers outside your control — employer bias, thin services, and systems that don't cooperate. Caseloads and documentation can be heavy, progress is gradual, and outcomes depend on more than your effort. The emotional weight is real, and burnout is a genuine risk.

It fits someone patient, resourceful, and energized by individual progress. If you need fast wins or hate paperwork, the role can frustrate. But if you find deep meaning in helping someone build a life on their own terms — and the small victories that add up — the work tends to give that back, person by person.

What people in this role value
RelationshipsHigh
AchievementAbove avg
SupportModerate
Working ConditionsModerate
RecognitionModerate
IndependenceModerate
O*NET Work Values survey
✦ Editorial — written by Truest from industry research and career patterns

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Career Paths

Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.

Earning potential across this track
$239K$179K$119K$60K$0KLower paying387 metro areas, sorted by salary level
All experience levels1
This level's estimated range
INDUSTRIES PAYING ABOVE AVERAGE
Energy & Utilities$95K+57%
Professional Services$91K+50%
Technology & Information$83K+37%
Construction$74K+21%
Wholesale & Distribution$73K+20%
Compared to Social Services average across all industries
1 BLS OEWS May 2024 covers all Disability Counselors (SOC 21-1015.00), not just this title · BEA RPP 2023
* Top salaries exceed this figure. BLS caps reported wages at ~$240K to protect individual privacy in high-earning roles.
Related rolesExplore Social Services →
Disability CounselorProgram ManagerOffender Workforce Development Program Manager (OWDPM)Blind Rehabilitation SpecialistDisability Program NavigatorResidence CounselorRehabilitation SpecialistClient TrainerEmployment Services Case ManagerRehabilitation EngineerPlacement CoordinatorDirect Care CounselorJob CoachDevelopmental Disabilities SpecialistCare NavigatorHuman Services Care SpecialistGroup Home CounselorRehabilitation CounselorEligibility Referral SpecialistEmployment Instructional Associate (EIA)Employment NavigatorEmployment TrainerVocational CounselorDisability ConsultantEmployment Specialist+1 more

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✦ Editorial — career progression and interview guidance based on industry patterns
The Broader Landscape

Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.

$34K–$77K
Salary Range
10th – 90th percentile
89K
U.S. Employment
+1.4%
10yr Growth
10K
Annual Openings

How Disability Counselor pay & employment are changing

$65K$63K$60K$57K$55K201920202021202220232024$55K$65K
BLS OEWS May 2024 · BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034

Skills & Requirements

SpeakingService OrientationSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningMonitoringReading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingCoordinationJudgment and Decision Making
O*NET OnLine · Bureau of Labor Statistics
Mapped SOC Codes
21-1015.00

Explore related roles

Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths

midProgram Manager$88KmidOffender Workforce Development Program Manager (OWDPM)$78KmidBlind Rehabilitation Specialist$46KseniorSenior Employment Specialist$59KmidDisability Program Navigator$46KmidResidence Counselor$56K
View all Social Services roles →

Common questions about what it's like to be a Disability Counselor

What does a Disability Counselor do?

You help people with disabilities build the lives and careers they want — assessing needs, connecting them to resources, and counseling through the practical and emotional barriers. Support centered on possibility, not limitation.

How much does a Disability Counselor make?

Median pay for a Disability Counselor is about $46K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $34K to $77K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).

What skills does a Disability Counselor need?

Core skills for this role include Speaking, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, and Monitoring.

What education do you need to be a Disability Counselor?

Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.

Is a Disability Counselor in demand?

Employment in this field is projected to grow about 1.4% through 2034, with roughly 88,930 people working in it today (BLS).

What jobs are similar to a Disability Counselor?

Closely related roles include Program Manager, Offender Workforce Development Program Manager (OWDPM), and Blind Rehabilitation Specialist.

Career advice

Disability Counselor career advice

Do one small thing to grow in your career this week. Pick one of these; each comes with the words to use.

  • Simple exerciseSee a company the way its own people do, before you ask to join it.Understand a company before you apply
  • Simple exerciseMake future feedback easier to give, and easier to hear.Learn how someone likes to get feedback
  • Simple exerciseLook at the steps up and sideways from your job, and find one you'd be excited to do.Walk the roles next to yours
  • Simple exercisePush back in a message without starting a fight.Disagree in writing without heat

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More career advice

  • Offer a peer feedback they didn't ask for
  • Learn one skill in public
  • Find out what your work pays elsewhere
  • Catch up with a remote teammate, no agenda
  • Ask for input before you decide
  • Understand what another team needs
  • Start the day before you open your inbox
  • Say what you're not doing this week

We believe careers grow through small steps taken often, more than big leaps. So we’ve collected hundreds of them for you to try.

Browse career advice

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Federal data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2024) · BLS Employment Projections · O*NET OnLine
Truest editorial: Fit check, role profile, things that vary, advancement analysis, lateral moves, interview questions.

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Take the wheel.

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