These kinds of beggars always make me angry because they're typically doing a large disservice to the community they're pretending to represent. In NYC there are often a few beggars in the trains who pass around business cards that say things like "I am deaf - please donate any amount that you can" as if we're supposed to pity them because of their deafness. I know quite a few people in the local deaf community, and no one asks for hand outs on the basis of being deaf; they don't consider it to be a disability, rather a culture and way of life, and they'll be damned if you're going to pity them or assume they need charity because of their deafness.