You help students with disabilities access education. As a Disability Services Coordinator, you're arranging accommodations, coordinating with faculty, and ensuring students have what they need to succeed academically despite their challenges.
Disability services coordinators at educational institutions typically review disability documentation, determine appropriate accommodations, coordinate with faculty and staff, and support students with disabilities throughout their academic experience. The population is broad: learning disabilities, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, chronic illness, and more.
The legal framework shapes everything. ADA and Section 504 compliance isn't optional, and understanding your institution's obligations—and their limits—is foundational. Navigating situations where a student's requested accommodation conflicts with academic standards or faculty concerns requires both legal knowledge and interpersonal skill.
People who tend to do well are equity-minded, organized, and comfortable with ambiguity. Disability documentation varies enormously in quality, and determining what accommodations are appropriate often involves judgment rather than clear rules. If you find satisfaction in helping students access education who might otherwise be excluded, and can navigate the institutional complexity of doing that consistently, disability services work tends to be meaningful and steadily engaging.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
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.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Social Services roles →You help students with disabilities access education. As a Disability Services Coordinator, you're arranging accommodations, coordinating with faculty, and ensuring students have what they need to succeed academically despite their challenges.
Median pay for a Disability Services Coordinator is about $65K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $44K to $106K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Service Orientation, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.5% through 2034, with roughly 342,350 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Employment Specialist, Senior Employment Specialist, and Placement Coordinator.
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