Identity verification is a critical gateway to accessing government services and public benefits, yet contemporary systems are typically designed around visual interaction, leaving blind and low vision (BLV) individuals disproportionately burdened. In this work, we examine how BLV users navigate identity verification in government services and how current designs shape their access, security, and autonomy. Through a mixed methods study combining analysis of 219 Reddit posts and semi-structured interviews with 16 BLV participants, we uncover systemic accessibility breakdowns across both digital and in person verification processes. Our findings show that inaccessible verification workflows do not merely inconvenience users, they restructure how security is achieved in practice. We also identify how repeated verification demands, inaccessible physical infrastructure, and policy changes exacerbate exclusion from essential services. At the same time, participants articulate complex perspectives on AI, viewing it as both a critical accessibility aid and a growing vector for identity fraud.

翻译：身份验证是获取政府服务与公共福利的关键入口，然而现行系统通常以视觉交互为核心设计，导致盲人与低视力群体承受不成比例的负担。本研究通过混合方法，结合219篇Reddit帖子分析与16位视障参与者的半结构化访谈，考察视障用户在政府服务中进行身份验证的实践过程，揭示当前设计如何影响其可及性、安全性与自主权。研究发现，不可达的身份验证流程不仅造成使用不便，更从根本上重构了安全机制的实际运作方式。研究进一步表明，重复的身份验证要求、不可达的物理基础设施及政策调整加剧了视障群体被排斥于关键服务之外的困境。与此同时，参与者对人工智能展现出复杂认知——既将其视为关键的无障碍辅助工具，也视其为日益增长的身份欺诈新载体。