Modern day life embarresment
Modern day life embarresment
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Discussion

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

222 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
Sign of the times?

I have a friend who does some free IT support for various charities, anything ranging from cancer to people with disabilities.

He went to do a first time site audit at a charity which deals with aspects of mentally disabled teenagers, and was given the task of setting up their computers and dealing with the helpdesk (two volunteers) who would be taking calls.

He was told these volunteers, who were both around 18-19, were very computer literate.

So he sets everything up, gets the computers online, and started training the lads on all the basic faults that can go wrong, the telephone system and all the other gubbins they would be looking after.

While training them, he noticed that they were both very slow to learn even the most basic things, one of them was always pausing and erring when asked the most simple questions, and they both seemed to have real trouble talking without slurring, and they were giggling at time when there was nothing funny going on.

So then he twigged and realised that the centre must also employ young people with severe mental disabilites as well, and did the best job he could.

On the way out, he spoke to the manager of the centre and told her that they both did exceptionally well considering they had learning disabilites...only to be told that they were not actually part of the charity, but employed through a normal temp agency hehe

I do sympathise with him, as on some contracts I have worked on, it would appear it is now cool to act as if you have a severe mental problem. It beats the "fake london" ones though imo.


soad

34,178 posts

196 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
TheCarpetCleaner said:
...only to be told that they were not actually part of the charity, but employed through a normal temp agency hehe
Sign of the times indeed... rofl

bogwoppit

705 posts

201 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
Not sure what the problem is. Are you suggesting that they were pretending to have mental problems, or that people with learning difficulties should not be allowed to work?

condor

8,837 posts

268 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
Sounds like they were pretending to have mental problems, and probably thought they knew more than the trainer. The giggling when nothing funny was happenning is a bit of a giveaway biggrin Youngsters eh?

ScottishSamurai

8,138 posts

196 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
bogwoppit said:
Not sure what the problem is. Are you suggesting that they were pretending to have mental problems, or that people with learning difficulties should not be allowed to work?
Christ, lighten up.

bogwoppit

705 posts

201 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
ScottishSamurai said:
bogwoppit said:
Not sure what the problem is. Are you suggesting that they were pretending to have mental problems, or that people with learning difficulties should not be allowed to work?
Christ, lighten up.
What? I'm only asking him what he was alluding to with "sign of the times". Is it a sign of the times that agencies take on kids with learning difficulties, or that kids pretend to have learning difficulties? The fact that it was a charity for kids with learning difficulties confused me, because it makes perfect sense for them to employ such people!

jas xjr

11,309 posts

259 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile

Jasandjules

71,625 posts

249 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
bogwoppit said:
Not sure what the problem is. Are you suggesting that they were pretending to have mental problems, or that people with learning difficulties should not be allowed to work?
I suspect the sign of the times was that kids are stupid.....

I bet these guys only got 3 As and 1 A* at A Level....

I can feel his pain, it's a bit like when I offered a "pregnant" lady my seat on a train.. I think you know what happened next..........

shakotan

10,830 posts

216 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
jas xjr said:
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile
As should you...

ScottishSamurai

8,138 posts

196 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
bogwoppit said:
ScottishSamurai said:
bogwoppit said:
Not sure what the problem is. Are you suggesting that they were pretending to have mental problems, or that people with learning difficulties should not be allowed to work?
Christ, lighten up.
What? I'm only asking him what he was alluding to with "sign of the times". Is it a sign of the times that agencies take on kids with learning difficulties, or that kids pretend to have learning difficulties? The fact that it was a charity for kids with learning difficulties confused me, because it makes perfect sense for them to employ such people!
I think you totally missed the point.
It's like thinking a woman is pregnant, then asking her and then... "i'm not pregnant..."

Skylinecrazy

13,986 posts

214 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
shakotan said:
jas xjr said:
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile
As should you...
hehe


Funk

27,176 posts

229 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
shakotan said:
jas xjr said:
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile
As should you...
"Back o' the net!"

TheCarpetCleaner

Original Poster:

7,294 posts

222 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
Funk said:
shakotan said:
jas xjr said:
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile
As should you...
"Back o' the net!"
Plus, it would have just been weird to drive up to see my mate, get him to drive me over to the charity HQ, go in there to a bunch of people I did not know, and then ask them how to spell a word.

Firstly, it is odd because I don't know them, and they may be worse at spelling than I am

Secondly it is a lot of effort to go through, for something that, in terms of a busy life, does not really matter.

smile

okgo

41,156 posts

218 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
Common sense has dissapeared.

Yet another reason why a degree isn't a decent yard stick for most now, as they as so bloody dense in regards to living normal life.


jas xjr

11,309 posts

259 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
shakotan said:
jas xjr said:
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile
As should you...
oh yeah it was deliberate boxedin

fair cop

Edited by jas xjr on Sunday 14th February 19:15

Jasandjules

71,625 posts

249 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
jas xjr said:
shakotan said:
jas xjr said:
maybe you should have asked them how to spell embarrasment? smile
As should you...
oh yeah it was deliberate boxedin

fair cop

Edited by jas xjr on Sunday 14th February 19:15
Just obeying the PH Rule, when criticising spelling, at least one mistake must be made......... biggrin

paul.deitch

2,254 posts

277 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
okgo said:
Common sense has dissapeared.
While we're in the swing of things....

Edited by paul.deitch on Sunday 14th February 21:10

chim

7,259 posts

197 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
bogwoppit said:
ScottishSamurai said:
bogwoppit said:
Not sure what the problem is. Are you suggesting that they were pretending to have mental problems, or that people with learning difficulties should not be allowed to work?
Christ, lighten up.
What? I'm only asking him what he was alluding to with "sign of the times". Is it a sign of the times that agencies take on kids with learning difficulties, or that kids pretend to have learning difficulties? The fact that it was a charity for kids with learning difficulties confused me, because it makes perfect sense for them to employ such people!
WTF, is is just me, apart from completely missing the point can you actually imagine having an IT helpdesk manned with kids with learning difficulties for the kids with learning difficulties. If nothing else listening to the calls would be fking hilarious but I don't think that much would actually get fixed.

lost in espace

6,435 posts

227 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
Sounds like they had been at the ganja to me.

The Nur

9,168 posts

205 months

Sunday 14th February 2010
quotequote all
lost in espace said:
Sounds like they had been at the ganja to me.
+1