Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between disability specialists and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a disability specialist and a community support specialist. Additionally, a disability specialist has an average salary of $48,662, which is higher than the $39,320 average annual salary of a community support specialist.
The top three skills for a disability specialist include social work, rehabilitation and developmental disabilities. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Disability Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,662 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $23.40 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 24,669 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A disability examiner is primarily in charge of conducting assessments and examinations to determine an applicant's eligibility for disability benefits and programs. Their duties usually include reviewing medical and health records, conducting interviews, and evaluating applications. There are also times when a disability examiner must directly coordinate with healthcare providers to obtain and assess records. Moreover, as a disability examiner, it is essential to assist clients by answering inquiries, providing instructions and advice, and helping them understand the extent of procedures.
A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.
Disability specialists and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Disability Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $48,662 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $80,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Stanford University | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a disability specialist and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Disability Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between disability specialists' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Disability Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.7% Female, 76.3% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |