Deaf man wrongfully told he had HIV after hospital fails to provide interpreter

• A deaf man, Richard MacQueen from Dundee, was mistakenly led to believe he had HIV for two days due to the absence of a qualified British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter at a hospital.
• While receiving test results for pneumonia, a nurse with limited BSL skills communicated “HIV” with a thumbs-up, which Mr MacQueen misinterpreted as a positive diagnosis.
• He experienced significant distress, believing his “life was over,” until a qualified interpreter arrived to clarify that his test results were, in fact, negative.
• Mr MacQueen shared his experience to underscore the critical need for accurate communication for deaf individuals in medical environments.
• His story precedes the launch of SignPort, a new app developed in Scotland to enable deaf people to quickly book BSL interpreters, aiming to transform access and inclusivity.

IN FULL

Lack of interpreter left deaf man fearing he ‘had HIV and could die’