How can I find out if my co-worker is retarded?

Question

I work with a morbidly obese male with a very lazy eye who I think is mildy retarded. He forgets his password for the computer systems at least once a week, and was even denied a position closer to his house due to the fact that he is unable to learn what is required to be effective. We basically put him in a corner and don't let him touch anything because whenever he works there is a critical mistake being made. He has been here for over twenty years, yet is unable to do the work without assistance. Last week our cleaner found f***s on the floor which is most likely attributed to his horrible gas and an accidental outage of some brown material. He is abnormally lazy as well. We at the work place would rather do double the work, then to have him work with us due to his seemingly lacking mental capacity.

I am wondering if there is any covert or non-direct way to find out if he is indeed retarded?

Answer 1

If he isn't the boss why isn't he being,um... "let go" for pretty much not being able to do the work?? How can someone like that work at the same place for 20 years? Is your work just afraid of a discrimination lawsuit? you might be able to find an evaluation system online to determine if he's mildly retarded.

Answer 2

I think your greatest problem with this guy is his weight.  It was your first comment aboiut him.  Shame on you, you're the one with the problem.  Ignorance.

Answer 3

He's been there for 20 years and you want to get him fired?  You'd better be careful because he might be related to someone who owns the place and you'll just manage to get yourself booted instead.

Answer 4

This male you speak of does exert many qualities of mental retardation. Although this matter seems to never resolve itself because everyone thinks your a b*****d if you say something, you might want to address the fact that f***s were on the floor. That is a critical health issue and should be addressed as professionally as possible.

Answer 5

You don't want to know, actually.  If he is retarded, the state and local governments have placement programs that are (in my opinion) politically motivated and could, upon "official diagnosis" make things worse for you than they already are.

If he has been with your company for over twenty years, management clearly is aware of the situation and has also made it apparent that he will stay, and you will bear the brunt of his inabilities.  

I would be willing to bet that, for whatever reason, whistle blowers or those who complained to superiors about this man are no longer there; those who have been there longer most likely have found a way to deal with him.

Your option?  Deal with it.  Find a way to do what management does - give him easy work with little consequence for foul-up; check his work and cover for him with a wink and a smile.  His employment there is a kindness, and not something you are in a position to challenge.  

If you cannot bring yourself to do this, then you should dust off your resume and find a different job.  It's not a fair world all the time, but at least your choices are clear.  

Answer 6

If he is really as lazy and ineffective as you claim, then he must be either related to, or very friendly with, the owner of the business in order to have held onto this job for over 20 years.

If this is the case, you would be well advised to mind your own business unless you want to find yourself out of a job.

And what exactly does his lazy eye and obesity have to do with his ability to do the work, or indeed the possibility that he may be intellectually sub-normal? Sounds like you would be prejudiced against this guy even if he COULD do the work and had a brain twice the size of yours. It seems that in your view a lazy eye means a lazy person, and obesity is always the result of laziness.

Oh, and "accidental outage of some brown material"? LOL.

Answer 7

It really is none of your business if he has any disability.  If you have any complaints about his job performance, they should be handled through the proper channels, just like with anyone else. Don't be nosy, be professional.

Answer 8

d**n! You seem quite cruel & heartless. Yes, he has a disability, but it's not his fault.

Answer 9

Read what you just posted.  You answered your own question.  

Answer 10

if the guy has been there for 20 years he must be doing something right.  everyone gets forget full once in a while.  did you ever think that maybe cause you guys treat him different that he just doesn't care anymore and does what he wants?  maybe he makes mistakes on purpose to get his co-workers attention.  

Sorry but to answer your question NO there is not a convert way of asking someone if they are developmentally disabled.  

if you and your co-workers are having such a problem with him why not talk to the higher ups and let them know whats going on.