Navy defends prohibiting tour

The National Federation for the Blind demanded an apology yesterday from the US Navy for refusing to let a blind man from Boston aboard the USS John F. Kennedy during the weekend.

Mika Pyyhkala said that after waiting in line and at checkpoints, he was about to board the aircraft carrier about 1 p.m. Sunday when two naval officers approached and told him it was against ship policy to admit legally blind people.

"I told them I was comfortable with stairs and other fixtures and had been on ships before," said Pyyhkala.

He said the Navy would not accept a formal complaint from him at the time.

He was rejected because he was unaccompanied and no one was available to assist him, said Boston-based Navy spokesman Paul Brawley.

"We regret that Mr. Pyyhkala felt he was treated unfairly, but the decision was based on our need to ensure safety," Brawley said, adding that the Navy would not formally apologize because Pyyhkala declined an invitation to tour the ship yesterday.

An accompanied blind person toured the ship during the weekend, when an estimated 51,000 people boarded the vessel, which was on its last stop in Boston before it is decommissioned after nearly 40 years of service, Brawley said.

The ship was scheduled to leave yesterday, but delayed its departure until today for refueling, officials said.

Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation for the Blind, said in a statement yesterday that the advocacy group plans to pursue legal action against the Navy and the state. "If we allow the claim we cannot visit an aircraft carrier . . . we will next be told that we cannot visit a restaurant or a school or a park," he said.

Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff contributed to this report.