By Kenneth Hinga
Reprinted from the July 1971 issue of The Braille Forum.
(Editor's Note: Kenneth Hinga's article is extremely timely. The Wisconsin Council has lost more than $35,000 in recent years in just this way. The money is buried in the State's General Treasury and can never be extracted. George Card, Associate Editor)
There is a matter that the Blind Lawyers Association might consider during their special session in Milwaukee this summer. It is this business of attorneys writing up a will for a client who desires to leave a portion of their estate to "The Blind." It would seem that these professional experts would know better than to include such an ambiguous designation in a legal document. Nevertheless, it happens all too frequently. Often, if it doesn't simply say "The Blind," it will throw out some high-sounding title of an organization which doesn't exist. About a year ago a well-meaning lady died and willed a substantial sum of money to the American Federated Foundation of the Blind. It took some convincing on my part to assure her legal representative that what she really meant was the "Kalamazoo Federation of the Blind." More recently, a lady died in the eastern part of Michigan who wanted a good portion of her resources to go toward helping the blind. Another organization of the blind not affiliated with A.C.B. got wind of the deal and immediately sent the president and legal representative to the county seat and advised that this group represented the blind of Michigan, and the prosecuting attorney accepted the contention and granted the bequeathal with no further investigation. Sorry I missed that one! There's one thing for darn sure — that is you can't confer with the deceased to get their thinking.
This confusion is further complicated when the mourners view the remains and deposit memorials in behalf of the blind or an agency serving in the cause. The funeral director looks at the little cards, counts the plate of money, and then scratches his head wondering where the donation is supposed to go. If he phones this writer there is never any question as to the ultimate disposal. If the local, state and national organizations of the blind were on their toes they would make certain that every funeral home and bar association retained a nomenclature of priority. The saddest thing that can happen in this situation is when bequeathed funds are channeled toward some agency for the blind that is already loaded with financial support. We need to emphasize that little preposition "of" so the donor will understand that they are contributing directly to the visually handicapped and not to some facility where the money will purchase a new desk for the director.
Publicity is the key word, and we must promote the name of the American Council of the Blind from the country store to the White House. I'm giving you fair warning, however, that if the title comes out "American Federation of the Blind," the bequest may end up in Kalamazoo.