[Blindtlk] Signing Your Name.

[Mary Mc Gee]

Dear Fellow Federationists;

            I need some original thinking here, I believe.  It's tax time
and, as you know, when you're married, sometimes you choose to file a joint
return, which both you and your spouse must sign.  I have no problem doing
this; I'm the one who prepares the thing with the Schedules, etc.  My
husband, who is totally blind, can't sign his name legibly.  (It's debatable
whether my signature is legible.)  Anyway, last year the IRS sent the return
back saying the "spouse's signature is not authentic".  The IRS accepted
mine but not his.  He refuses to use one of those signature guides or
anything else like that.  He writes at an angle and the letters overlap.  He
says he shouldn't have to know how to sign his name.  I disagree.  Every
year at tax time we argue about this because he feels, being blind, he
shouldn't be expected to know how to make a legible signature.  I argue
that, since the majority of people working for the government are sighted
and the signature is your verification, you need to sign government
documents.  

            I guess my question is two-fold:

1.  Does anyone have any suggestions with respect to convincing him that he
needs to make a signature?

2.  Has anyone else had a document returned, when a blind person signed it
and the government refused to accept the signature?

            Last near, I took the think to Sen. Harkin's office and
explained the problem.  I signed release, they took over and sent the return
to the IRS, and I never heard another word till our refund check came.

            Thanks for your input.

Sincerely,

Mary L. McGee

 

 

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