Dehradun: A blind man has claimed that he was discriminated against after he was denied a chance to go river rafting. Shailendra Yadav, general secretary, North Zone Blind Cricket Association said that he has been visiting Uttarakhand for last few years for river rafting but was never refused because of his disability.
“The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 has been implemented in Uttarakhand so there’s no reason for anyone to refuse participation of any visually-impaired person in the sport. I have never faced this kind of bias anywhere and it just shows that even though the Act might have been implemented by the government, it has not been properly executed by the administration who has failed to sensitise people about it. These days when disabled are climbing mountains and bringing glory to the nation, how can I be refused river rafting?” Yadav said. He added that he has reported the incident to senior officials so that other persons with disabilities do not have to face such discrimination in the future.
I was very disappointed with the attitude of the raft operators and was actually taken aback by how they were not sensitised towards the disabled. I believe that they are not aware of the Act as the authorities have not bothered informing them about it. The officials and the tourism department needs to ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” added Yadav.

Meanwhile, the authorities claim that they are looking into the matter. SDM of Narendra Nagar, Lakshmiraj Chauhan told TOI, “I have received a telephonic complaint and have asked Yadav to send it in writing. I have also asked the raft operators concerned to give an explanation about the incident as Yadav has also alleged that they had misbehaved. We are looking into the matter.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/blind-man-not-allowed-river-rafting-alleges-discrimination/articleshow/64163690.cms