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Blind Patreon creator incorrectly classified as under 18 after inaccessible passport verification (rblind.com)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/main@rblind.com
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I’m a blind creator, and I want to share my experience with Patreon’s age-verification process because it created a serious accessibility barrier.

Patreon required me to photograph my government-issued passport and take a selfie. The process depended heavily on visual positioning and instructions, making it extremely difficult for me to complete independently.

I eventually completed the verification, but Patreon then disabled my creator page after incorrectly classifying me as under 18. I am 33 years old, and the government ID I submitted confirms that I am an adult.

I contacted Patreon’s accessibility team and requested a manual review and restoration of my creator page. I also contacted its privacy team to cancel a pending account-deletion request. So far, I have received no response from a human representative and no confirmation that the deletion request was cancelled.

I understand why Patreon needs to verify creators’ ages. My concern is that the verification process was inaccessible, the result was incorrect, and there was no obvious way to obtain a prompt human review before my page was disabled.

Has anyone else, particularly another blind or visually impaired creator, experienced a similar problem? Were you able to obtain an accessible verification alternative or a manual review?

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[–] [S] 1 point 1 month ago

Update — 24 September 2026:

Thank you for the support. There have been replies since my original post, but my creator page has not been restored.

William helped with cancelling my account-deletion request and referring the verification issue to Trust & Safety. I appreciate his assistance.

Tony from Trust & Safety has now clarified that uploading documents through their secure link would lead to manual verification, intended to avoid another incorrect automated result. However, he repeated the requirement for government-issued ID photos and a selfie while holding the ID, and said they have no other verification process.

That still leaves the accessibility problem unresolved. I am blind and use VoiceOver. I also have a physical disability affecting my right hand, which makes holding identification while positioning and operating a phone difficult.

I have asked for accessible assistance or a review of the documentation already submitted. The latest response does not offer assistance with taking the photographs or explain why my earlier documentation cannot be reviewed.

There is still no confirmation that my incorrect under-18 classification has been corrected, my restriction removed, or my creator page restored.

My concern is with Patreon’s process and its handling of these accessibility barriers. Calling the review “manual” does not, by itself, make the required photographs accessible for me to produce.

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