Disability Service Coordinators in U.S. Medical Schools: A Collective Case Study

Students with Disabilities (SWDs) are entering colleges and universities at higher rates than previous years thanks to advancements in human rights, legal protections, and equity practices. U.S. medical schools are legally required to provide services to SWDs as well as have a process in place to administer accommodation services (Fallucca, 2017). The person in charge of Student Disability Services (SDS), who handles accommodation requests is commonly known as a Disability Services Coordinator (DSC). The legal requirements of SDS offices serves a critical role in determining policies and procedures that students will navigate in order to qualify for accommodations. The premise for disability offices in IHE is for legal compliance, however, flexibility exists across institituions on how the offices operate. The purpose of this collective case study is to gather data on leadership qualities and organizational structures that influence DSCs in U.S. medical school settings. The finding of this study can be used by DSCs and U.S. medical school administrators to develop internal processes to meet current and future needs of SWDs pursuing medical degrees.