Deaf man left thinking he had HIV but it was a mistake due to shortage of BSL interpreters

A deaf dad has told how he wrongly believed he had HIV for two days due to the lack of an interpreter at a hospital.

Richard MacQueen was admitted with pneumonia when a communication breakdown led him to assume he had been diagnosed with the virus.

He is now sharing his story several years on from the incident as an app is launched that aims to connect people with interpreters more easily.

Richard, 42, whose first language is BSL, asked a relative to help translate but they were unable to assist with the complex medical conversation.

He explained a nurse gave him the “thumbs up” sign when returning the form for a HIV test – recommended to rule out the condition – which he interpreted as confirmation he had the condition.

“When the results came back, there was no interpreter to pass them on,” Richard told STV News. “They sent a nurse who was learning very basic signs.

Richard using an interpreter over video call. STV News

“She signed ‘HIV’ and put her thumb up. I was completely confused. Does that mean it’s positive? Is this a good thing? What does this mean?”

“It was really confusing. I didn’t know what the answer was. I asked them to supply an intepreter, as I needed the language to match my language.”

Unable to get answers for two days, Richard said panic set in.

“I was lying there really ill for two days as things escalated in my mind. It was a worrying time,” he said.

“You think about the worst potential situation, ‘Am I going to die?’, ‘What do I have to tell my family? How do I explain what’s wrong?”

When a qualified interpreter finally arrived, the truth emerged – his test results were negative. The thumbs-up had been intended to signal good news, not confirmation of a positive diagnosis.

“It was a huge sigh of relief – thank goodness. However, I was impacted by it,” said Richard.

“That’s why it’s so important to have accurate communication there, to make sure everything is passed along smoothly.”

Richard has welcomed the launch of a new mobile app designed to connect deaf users to interpreters.

He has been involved in testing the app, and found it took only minutes to book an interpreter, whereas previously it could have been weeks.

He said it is a “much better, much faster” system than other methods of booking.

Richard added: “It’s a game-changer for the deaf community.

“When I was lying in hospital, I was sitting there not knowing what’s going on.

“If I had that app at the time I wouldn’t have that concern – I wouldn’t have to rely on other people to supply an interpreter for me. I could see there and then who is available and how they could get to me.”

Richard said it’s currently a “huge challenge” to source interpreters outside of city centres in Scotland, especially out-of-hours.

New app launched to connect Deaf people with interpreters STV News

He added: “At the moment, deaf people don’t have equality in access to information. With an interpreter, that gives us the equal footing with our peers.

“It’s really important for councils and other bodies to get involved with this app – it’s taking things in the right direction.”

SignPort will enable deaf people to book BSL interpreters in just a few steps, see who their interpreter will be and communicate with them securely.

It was developed by Deaf Action and Burrotech through the Scottish Government’s CivTech programme.

Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said: “This app builds on our commitment to make Scotland a more inclusive place for deaf people.

“It also represents exactly the kind of innovation we want to see through our CivTech programme – technology that transforms lives and removes barriers.

“By putting deaf people and interpreters at the heart of its design, this app addresses challenges that have persisted for too long.

“As a social enterprise, SignPort will reinvest in the very communities it serves, creating lasting change beyond improving bookings. This is community-led innovation at its best.”