"A lot of the study that we had [at TAFE] was just a very general understanding of disability," Ms Keating said.
On her first day she was asked to change feeding tubes, despite having no training on how to do that.Ms Hohenhaus spent more than $4,000 on a TAFE course to help prepare her for the job, but said not all of her colleagues had the same qualification.However, the Queensland Department of Education said it does provide staff with medical and mobility training, if needed.
Skye Kakoschke-Moore said a majority of students living with disability attend mainstream schools, where staff aren't always qualified. In Queensland, teacher aides specialising in Auslan only need to be "willing to undertake appropriate training", according to the Queensland Department of Education's job description.
Dr Poed said unqualified staff risked the success of students with disabilities, and could lead to teacher aides feeling frustrated and burnt out.