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A deaf man wrongly believed he did it hiv Up to two days due to lack of an interpreter when receiving test results in a hospital.
Richard McQueen, 42, from stickSaid that the incident happened several years ago when he was in the hospital pneumonia,
42-year-old, whose first language is bslAsked a relative to help with translation, but they were unable to assist with complex medical conversations.
Mr McQueen, a father-of-two, said: “The doctor needed to check if I was HIV positive, as it could be linked to my illness.
“When the results came back, there was no interpreter to tell them. They sent a nurse who was learning very basic signs.
“He signed ‘HIV’ and put his thumbs up. I was completely confused. Does that mean it’s positive? Is that a good thing? What does that mean?”
Mr. McQueen remained in hospital for two days, seriously ill and believing he might have HIV.
He added, “I felt like my life was over. I was very confused and numb. I thought I had HIV and could die.”
When a qualified interpreter finally arrived, the truth came out – his test results were negative, and the purpose of the thumbs-up was to signal good news, not to confirm a positive diagnosis.
“That’s why it’s so important to have accurate communication there, to make sure everything runs smoothly,” Mr McQueen said.
He shares his story ahead of the launch of Signport, an app developed by Deaf Action and Barotech scottish government’s CivTech program, which connects deaf users with interpreters.
Mr McQueen has been involved in testing the app and found that booking an interpreter took only a few minutes, whereas previously it could take weeks.
Signport will enable deaf people to book bsl Interpreters See who their interpreter will be and communicate with them securely in just a few steps.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “This app builds on our commitment to making Scotland a more inclusive place for deaf people.
“This represents exactly the kind of innovation we want to see through our CivTech program – technology that changes lives and removes barriers.
“By putting Deaf people and interpreters at the center of its design, this app addresses challenges that have persisted for too long.
“As a social enterprise, Signport will reinvest in the communities it serves, driving lasting change beyond improving bookings. This is community-led innovation at its best.”