How To Build and Grow a Career in Disability and Accessibility Services

What if more than four in 10 college students had a disability, chronic health condition, or mental health condition, but campuses only knew about half of them? A 2025 report from the National Disability Center for Student Success, titled "Access Leads to Achievement: A National Report on Disabled College Student Experiences," found that 43% of students surveyed identified that way, far higher than the roughly 21% captured by institutional disclosure data. In a recent HigherEdJobs Careers & Coffee conversation, Dr. Hira Paulin and Lauren Collier shared what it takes to support those students and build a career in this field.

Paulin is an access coordinator with disability services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a certified rehabilitation counselor. Collier is the executive director of disability services in the Division of Student Affairs at Mount Holyoke College, a role she stepped into this summer. She previously worked alongside Paulin at UMass Amherst as associate director of operations. The two co-presented at this year's Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) conference.

Host Kelly Cherwin, director of editorial strategy at HigherEdJobs, opened the session with the report's findings, including that half of disabled college students were not diagnosed until they were already enrolled. The professionals who support these students, she said, help campuses meet that need.

A Look Inside the Work

Kelly began by asking what the field involves day to day and how it has changed. Collier explained that disability services helps the institution meet its obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Staff meet with students, hear their own account of their experience, review supporting documentation, and decide which reasonable accommodations apply. These can include extended time on exams, alternate-format course materials, single dorm rooms, emotional support animals, and accessible transportation.

The accommodations students request have changed very little, Paulin said. What has grown is the number of students seeking support, along with new technology and universal design for learning practices that benefit everyone.

Kelly also asked why the report's 43% and the 21% institutions capture differ so much. The guests explained that students have to choose to self-identify, documentation can be hard to get, and not every student with a disability needs accommodations. Many try things on their own first and connect with the office later if they need it.

Big Office, Small Office

Because listeners work at many kinds of institutions, Kelly asked Collier to compare building services at a small college with her experience at a large public university. At UMass Amherst, she said, each function has its own specialty team, including testing, note-taking, and physical access. At a smaller college, the same people wear many hats, from meeting with students in the morning to hiring peer notetakers or scheduling an interpreter in the afternoon.

She does not think one model beats the other. A large office offers depth, a small one offers breadth, and processes can be easier to change with fewer people involved. Her tip for anyone hoping to move up is to learn the other pieces of your office, because that understanding prepares you for growth.

What Faculty and Leaders Can Do

Kelly noted that many faculty and staff want to know how to start a conversation with a student who has never had formal testing or a diagnosis. Paulin suggested beginning with the syllabus statement and a heads-up to the whole class. Many students do not know these services exist, and the office also supports temporary needs, like a broken arm in the middle of the term. "You just never know when somebody might need to connect with us," she said.

On what leaders should understand, Paulin said the office is first a compliance office. "We are a compliance office," she said, which makes full staffing essential to protecting the institution. It is also a partner to faculty. "We are allies and not an enemy to the faculty," she said.

Collier added that speed matters because students need answers in weeks, not months. "Access delayed can be considered access denied in the eyes of the law," she said. A stalled request is a risk for the entire institution, not just the disability services office. Investing in staffing and clear decision pathways helps students get timely access and helps offices keep talented people.

A Simple Way To Prevent Conflict

Kelly asked what approach from their AHEAD presentation other campuses could use. The presentation asked leaders to look at their offices through three lenses: people, process, and technology. Collier shared the process example she has found most useful, which is written communication. Many conflicts trace back to unclear wording in letters, templates, and web pages. A phrase like "register with disability services" can mean little to a first-year student.

Her advice is to revisit your last conflict, find the language behind it, rewrite it, and have someone outside the field read it. Every ambiguity you fix is one less problem to manage later, which leaves more time for student support. "Clear is kind," she said.

Moving Up or Growing Where You Are

Collier came to higher education from K-12 special education teaching, looking for room to grow in program development and data work. Three habits helped her advance: using the free professional development available on campus and through national groups, solving problems nobody asked her to solve, and staying open to changing institutions. "Doing your job well usually isn't enough on its own to get you into leadership," she said, so bring a proposed solution, not just the problem. Her closing tip was to "get comfortable risking a no answer."

Kelly pointed out that "growth means different things to different people" and does not always mean a new title. Paulin knew she wanted to stay student-facing, and she has grown by becoming a go-to resource, helping train new colleagues, and collaborating across campus. Students with disabilities are found everywhere on campus, the guests noted, so there are many ways to serve them, including in advising, counseling, admissions, and human resources.

Starting Out in the Field

For anyone considering the work, the guests recommended learning how the laws differ between K-12 and college. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act applies in K-12, while the ADA and Section 504 apply in higher education. Backgrounds in psychology, rehabilitation counseling, special education, social work, and human resources can all lead into the field, Paulin said, and you do not always need a whole new degree.

Collier suggested reading the website of any office you are interviewing with to learn its processes. She looks for what she calls critical empathy. "Being able to hold empathy and judgment together at the same time is what makes somebody succeed and be good at this work," she said. Paulin pointed to training from the Job Accommodation Network and certification through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification, plus a reading list and LinkedIn voices worth following. Both guests offered to connect with people exploring the field.

Paulin began in a part-time disability counselor role herself and encouraged job seekers not to be discouraged by starting that way. It is a common way in, and moving around is normal in this work. Browse disability and accessibility services jobs on HigherEdJobs to see what is open.

What the Audience Wanted To Know

Kelly then turned to audience questions. One attendee asked whether students need documentation before reaching out. They do not, Paulin said. "You don't have to have it before you come to us," she said. Many offices provide templates for providers, and some documentation, such as a Department of Veterans Affairs disability rating, can count. Collier noted that many offices offer introductory meetings, and some campuses provide evaluation funds or counseling services that can supply documentation.

A final question, submitted ahead of the session, asked which tools help professionals do their jobs better. Collier recommended an inbox zero approach for high-volume case communication and reading resolution letters from the Office for Civil Rights to see how the law applies in complex cases. Paulin suggested connecting with campus digital accessibility and instructional design offices.

Watch the full Careers & Coffee conversation on YouTube.

About Careers & Coffee:

HigherEdJobs' Careers & Coffee is a series of live, interactive Zoom conversations with experts in higher education. Designed to help job seekers and higher-ed professionals reflect meaningfully on their careers, the series offers expert advice and insights on best practices, emerging trends, and career-related issues. View a list of all sessions.

Disclaimer: HigherEdJobs encourages free discourse and expression of issues while striving for accurate presentation to our audience. A guest opinion serves as an avenue to address and explore important topics, for authors to impart their expertise to our higher education audience and to challenge readers to consider points of view that could be outside of their comfort zone. The viewpoints, beliefs, or opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the author(s) and don't imply endorsement by HigherEdJobs