I know a Jewish eye doctor who practices on Long Island and Manhatten.
He is VERY big in the field in the NUC area.  He is also VERY big in the
Jewish community.  AND, he is VERY charitable at heart.  (He VERY much
wants to start a Foundation to help people who could not afford
"experimental vision saving procedures to be able to get them.  He has
talked to me about being a "spokesperson" and talking to some executives
at NYC-based Fortune 500 companies, who also happen to be patients of
his.)  Anyway, I REALLY trust him.  I have forwarded this information on
to him and hopefully he can give us the "straight scoop" about it.  (If
it IS a Jewish-based group to help people with vision problems, he would
know about it.)

Mary Blanton

Peter Seymour wrote:

> Dear Pete, Steve and All,
>
> Funny you should both be curious about Heritage for the Blind. I
> have also heard their ads and became curious. So, I started doing
> some probing into this organization, and here is what I have
> found, so far:
>
> The ads start with something like, "Vision is a precious gift,
> but many in our community suffer..." and so on, and then the ad
> ends with the sentence, "Heritage for the Blind is committed to
> enhancing the lives of the blind and visually impaired."
>
> The way to help them is by donating your old car to this non-profit,
> writing it off on your taxes, and part of the proceeds
> will go to help the blind. Of course, it's the helping the blind
> that qualifies this organization as a non-profit.
>
> Although I had never heard of this organization, their using the
> phrase, "Blind and visually impaired" gave the impression that
> they might be legit, or at least they did some minimal research
> into the correct jargon. I called their 800 number and asked what
> services they provide. The man quickly asked me if I had a car to
> donate. "No," I said, "I want to know what types of services your
> organization provides for the blind." "Hold on," the gut said.
> Then another man came on the line and said, "Do you have a car to
> donate?" I repeated the routine, and he took my number.
>
> The next day, a nice young woman called me back and said that
> this organization is located in Brooklyn, and was formerly called
> Jewish Heritage for the Blind. When I asked what they do with the
> proceeds, she said that they have plans to donate the money to
> organizations that help the blind.
>
> "But how are you helping the blind, today?" I asked her. "Hold
> on," the nice young woman said, and a minute later she came back
> and said that they produce braille books.
>
> "Most blind and visually impaired people don't read braille," I
> told her. "What are the titles of the braille books that you
> produce?" "Hold on," she again said, and a minute later she came
> back with the answer: "We produce braille Bibles."
>
> "There already are plenty of Bibles in braille and on audio tape
> for any blind people who are interested," I told her. "Is there
> anything special about your braille Bibles?" After holding for
> the last time, I got my answer: our braille Bibles are written in
> Hebrew." "Ah ha!" I said, "So that's where the Jewish from your
> original name went to."
>
> So, Is this organization a scam. On the one hand, they give the
> impression that they use the donor's gift for some kind of
> general aid to relieve the trials and tribulations of blindness,
> but they are probably just unloading some boxes of braille Hebrew
> Bibles, stacked in the back of some old warehouse, and doomed for
> the trash. But on the other hand, if you believe that braille
> Hebrew Bibles "...enhance the lives of the blind and visually
> impaired," then Heritage for the Blind is fulfilling its
> commitment, as advertised.
>
> If this is a scam as it appears, there are two basic ways that it
> does harm to us and others:
>
> * People who donate their cars to this organization are
> defrauded. If they knew the truth, they might sell their car and
> donate the money to another non-profit charity for the blind, and
> still get their write-off. So Heritage for the blind diverts
> possible legitimate donations for the blind to illegitimate ones.
>
> * The repetition of these ads in prime-time slots in the most
> expensive broadcast market in the world gives the many listeners
> the impression that this organization is doing well, which it
> surely must be. But the false implication is that blind people
> are benefiting from this company's prosperity. And that
> impression could lead those listeners to donate to other causes.
>
> And this false impression has had a concrete effect for many of
> us. Once, when I told my uncle about my perception that there is
> a dearth of good services for the blind, he was surprised. I
> asked him why he thought it was otherwise and he confessed to
> having a vague impression that there are well-funded
> organizations. Then I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from
> saying, "You actually thought I wanted to spend the first decade
> of my adulthood unable to read and write, while state-of-the-art
> equipment and training was just waiting at my beckoned call?"
>
> Before I conclude that this organization is a fraud, I am going
> to do some more research. I'm going to get their tax-exempt ID
> number, and obtain a basic breakdown of their expenses --
> administration and advertising costs versus their charitable
> giving. I will find out if they are meeting some kind of minimal
> standard, and if they are being accurately published.
>
> I would also follow up with calls to the radio stations that air
> these ads and tell them that they are accomplices to the
> defrauding of donors, legitimate blind charities, and the blind
> in general.
>
> I went to the website that Peter mikochik posted and found this
> statement about what they provide: "Support Heritage for the
> Blind. help fund the printing of large print and braille
> publications to be distributed to the blind." I also emailed the
> organization for their non-profit tax exempt ID number. Does the
> fact that their website ends in dot com instead of dot org tell
> us anything?
>
> The woman who I spoke to didn't mention the large print, but this
> statement isn't specific about what the publications are nor how,
> when, where or to whom they will be distributed. So this doesn't
> preclude the possibilities that they are, indeed, merely Hebrew
> Bibles. And Steve's finding that they publish prayer books is
> consistent with my findings.
>
> It seems to me that this organization is violating some kind of
> truth in advertising law, at least. If an organization's claims
> of "...enhancing the lives of the blind and visually impaired,"
> and that they "help "fund the printing of large print and braille
> publications" are not both deceptive exaggerations for merely
> printing Jewish prayer books written in Hebrew, then Al Gore did
> invent the Internet.
>
> Obviously, there are some gaps to be filled in, and some facts to
> gather. Encouraged by the interest here, I intend to continue my
> research for an expose article that I had in mind. If anybody on
> this list wants to help, please write directly to me at
> [log in to unmask] I will keep this list abreast of the progress of
> my research and always be open to your input.
>
> Peter Seymour
>
> P.S. My cynical take on all this is that people no they are being
> deceived, but don't want to be confronted with their self-deception. They
> want to pretend that they care without being
> confronted with the fact that they aren't helping and don't
> really give a damn. Organizations like Heritage for the Blind
> allow the donor and the organization to selfishly save and make
> money, respectively, while playing the charade of charity.
>
> Contact information:
>
> Heritage for the Blind, 800-2donate
> 2882 Nostrand Ave
> Brooklyn, NY 11229
> 718/253-5015 or
> [log in to unmask]
> www.taxdeduction.com
>
> I have often heard the ads on WCBS Radio, 212-736-5502.
>
> We already know enough to tell this broadcaster that it is being a dupe for
> a disability exploiter, regardless of the legal details.
>
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VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
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 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html