Arranges academic accommodations such as testing changes, note takers and accessible materials for college students with disabilities. BLS does not publish separate figures for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors; it counts them within educational, guidance, and career counselor and advisor (SOC 21-1012), whose median pay is $64,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Master's degree.
- SOC 21-1012
- Community and Social Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Disability Services Coordinator in four numbers
- Median pay
- $64,330a year, or $30.93/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $45KTop 10% $105K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.9%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 27,800389,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025389.5K
- Projected 2035400.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 389.5K Projected 2035 400.9K - Typical education
- Master'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Associate's2.5%
- Bachelor's56.3%
- Master's40.7%
- Post-master’s certificate0.5%
Highest education held by educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors Segment Value Associate's 2.5% Bachelor's 56.3% Master's 40.7% Post-master’s certificate 0.5%
Also advertised as: Accessibility Services Coordinator, Disability Resource Specialist, Accommodations Coordinator, Student Accessibility Specialist, Director of Disability Services.
Pay
How much do Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors make?
Every disability services coordinator in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$64,330
Middle half earn $51,270 to $82,870
- 10th
- $45,020
- 25th
- $51,270
- 75th
- $82,870
- 90th
- $104,770
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $45,020 |
| 25th | $51,270 |
| Median | $64,330 |
| 75th | $82,870 |
| 90th | $104,770 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $64,330
- Median hourly wage
- $30.93/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $71,430
- People employed
- 353,310
Versus all US occupations
At $64,330, Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors earn 26% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $13,350 a year.
Versus community and social service occupations
Inside the Community and Social Service group, where the middle occupation pays $60,300, this is 7% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $104,770 or more while the bottom 10% earn $45,020, a gap of 2.3×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 39% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($86,500), but once local prices are taken into account New Mexico leads at $84,458 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $86,500 | $78,125 | 45,140 |
| 2Alaska | $82,900 | $80,989 | 540 |
| 3Washington | $82,670 | $77,252 | 6,610 |
| 4District of Columbia | $80,470 | $73,220 | 1,690 |
| 5Massachusetts | $79,930 | $75,579 | 11,460 |
| 6New Jersey | $77,910 | $71,605 | 8,190 |
| 7New Mexico | $77,880 | $84,458 | 1,780 |
| 8Maryland | $75,820 | $72,238 | 6,600 |
| 9Rhode Island | $75,000 | $73,328 | 1,340 |
| 10Delaware | $74,070 | $74,212 | 1,700 |
Job outlook
Is Disability Services Coordinator a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +2.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors | +2.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors to change 2.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 11,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 27,800 openings are projected each year, 7.1% of the 389,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Disability Services Coordinator
Most coordinators have a master's degree in higher education, counseling, social work, special education or rehabilitation, though some offices hire with a bachelor's and related experience. Knowledge of disability law and an ability to work with students, faculty and administrators are central.
AHEAD, the Association on Higher Education and Disability, is the main professional body and offers training and professional standards for the field. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights publishes guidance on colleges' obligations. People often start as accommodations or testing center staff, graduate assistants in a disability office, or come from K-12 special education and vocational rehabilitation.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors.
- Bachelor's Degree56.3%
- Master's Degree40.7%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree2.5%
- Post-Master's Certificate0.5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 56.3% |
| Master's Degree | 40.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 2.5% |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 0.5% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Disability Services Coordinator do?
Disability services coordinators work in colleges and universities, making sure students with disabilities have equal access to their education. Students register with the office, and the coordinator reviews documentation, talks with the student about how the disability affects their learning, and decides on accommodations such as extended test time, a reduced-distraction exam room, captioning, note-taking support or accessible textbooks.
Coordinators send accommodation letters to faculty, help instructors understand what is required, and step in when an accommodation is not working or a dispute comes up. They also run testing centers, coordinate interpreters and captioners, advise on accessible course design, and connect students with tutoring, counseling and career services. The work is governed by the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Day-to-day tasks
- Review disability documentation and student requests
- Determine reasonable academic accommodations
- Send accommodation letters and advise faculty
- Coordinate testing accommodations and exam proctoring
- Arrange interpreters, captioning and accessible materials
- Resolve disputes about accommodations
- Advise on accessible course and campus design
- Refer students to tutoring, counseling and career services
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Coordinators work in campus offices on academic year schedules, with peaks at the start of each term and during exam periods. The role is people facing, involving meetings with students, faculty and families. Summers are usually quieter and are used for planning, training and preparing for incoming students.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.4
- Speaking4.1
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Learning Strategies3.8
- Monitoring3.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.4 |
| Speaking | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.8 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness4.1
- Service Orientation4.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.8
- Coordination3.6
- Persuasion3.6
- Instructing3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Negotiation3.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.1 |
| Service Orientation | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.6 |
| Persuasion | 3.6 |
| Instructing | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Negotiation | 3.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base reporting software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Disability Services Coordinator?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SCE) built on O*NET's Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Disability Services Coordinator |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 3 |
| Social | 7 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Social7.0
- Conventional4.8
- Enterprising4.5
- Investigative3.3
- Artistic3.1
- Realistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Disability Services Coordinator
O*NET related occupations
- Community and Social Service
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor
$64,330median a year
Most earn $45K to $105K
+2.9%Master's - Community and Social Service
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Educational Instruction and Library
- Community and Social Service
More community and social service careers
Median annual pay, with educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors highlighted
- Healthcare Social Worker$67,880
- Marriage and Family Therapist$66,940
- Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist$66,270
- Disability Services Coordinator$64,330
- Health Education Specialist$64,070
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker$60,280
- Community Health Worker$51,850
- Rehabilitation Counselor$46,850
- Social and Human Service Assistant$45,930
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Healthcare Social Worker | $67,880 |
| Marriage and Family Therapist | $66,940 |
| Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist | $66,270 |
| Disability Services Coordinator | $64,330 |
| Health Education Specialist | $64,070 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $60,280 |
| Community Health Worker | $51,850 |
| Rehabilitation Counselor | $46,850 |
| Social and Human Service Assistant | $45,930 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Disability Services Coordinator appears on
Questions
Disability Services Coordinator: frequently asked questions
How much do Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors. It counts them within educational, guidance, and career counselor and advisor, whose median pay is $64,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $51,270 and $82,870, and the top 10% earn $104,770 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Disability Services Coordinator?
Yes. BLS reports a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 56.3% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Disability Services Coordinator a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.9% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 27,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Disability Services Coordinator do?
Disability services coordinators work in colleges and universities, making sure students with disabilities have equal access to their education. A typical task: review disability documentation and student requests. Employers most often ask for Data base reporting software, Data base user interface and query software, Document management software.
Which states pay Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors the most?
The highest state medians for Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors are California ($86,500), Alaska ($82,900), Washington ($82,670) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, New Mexico moves to the top at $84,458.
What personality type suits a Disability Services Coordinator?
O*NET scores Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors highest on the Social, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.