Updates on Heather Mewshaw interpreter controversy
Here are updates on the controversy surrounding an ASL interpreter, Heather Mewshaw, who gained national attention and either criticism or praise after she was seen interpreting for the White House last Monday.
She is one of the admins of Right Side ASL Access (RSA) or Hands of Liberty (HOL), which are right-wing pages that gained a sizable following since they were founded over the summer but have been taken down on Facebook and YouTube. They have a presence on Rumble, an online video platform popular with conservative people.
Several days ago, the co-founder of RSA, Michael Thompson, set up a campaign on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding site, called “Heather Mewshaw Legal Fees” for her to hire an attorney to “defend her good reputation against slander and libel from Deaf community, ASL interpreter community and MSM.” So far, she has raised over $5,500 from about 80 donors. Some supporters left comments saying “stay strong,” “we are standing up for you,” and “you’re an awesome interpreter.”
Today Mewshaw released a video and statement. She said that people, “without evidence or merit, chose to cast aspersions (attacks) against my ability to be objective and impartial because of my involvement in a conservative social media group.”
Mewshaw said her work with RSA was volunteer-based and that if she interprets for a video, it does not mean she endorses the content of the video. She said she is a child of Deaf parents (Coda) and she has spent her whole life fighting for Deaf rights to have access to the same information as hearing people.
Mewshaw said there is a double standard out there with ASL interpreters who openly identify as liberal activists working at events for conservative figureheads/politicians.
Mewshaw listed several media articles about the White House controversy, separating them along “Fair Coverage” and “Hit Pieces.” “The Daily Moth”s report on January 27th was considered a hit piece.
Mewshaw said she worked 21 years as a RID certified ASL interpreter and that the work speaks for itself.
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I reached out to Michael Thompson and raised the issue that some of the videos she interpreted were of what seemed to be QAnon supporters who wanted to see Joe Biden or government officials arrested. There were also interpreted videos of vaccine misinformation. I will show you four clips from the RSA/HOL website.
Heather Mewshaw (interpreting for man #1)
“We’re not here for Biden. We’re here to take the power for the real president, Trump. My commanding officer just confirmed that the order will arrive overnight on the 19th or the 20th. When you wake up on the 20th, we’ll already be seizing all the different paths of power for President Trump. Biden, his Cabinet, and many Senators and Congressional representatives will be cuffed. Everyone I’ve talked with is ready to go! We are ready to save America!”
(Interpreting for a woman)
“This vaccine has DNA that is not human. Monkeys, infant cells, pigs. It’s called “chimer.” It means DNA that is not human, it’s added to our body.”
(Interpreting for man #2)
“This is a big crime family related with satanism, torture, exploitation, molesting, and murders of our precious children that happens from the highest levels in Washington, D.C. Both Democratic and Republican. Both of them. Hollywood too. Big tech.
(Interpreting for man #1)
They spread the virus to steal the election. That’s called the “Great Awakening.” Their future is over. Amen. This is wonderful news!
Thompson said deaf people should have the right to hear true or false information and that deaf people should decide for themselves what to believe. He asked if I preferred to sweep information under the rug? He said no interpreters were willing to interpret “scary” videos and that Mewshaw felt bad that deaf people didn’t know what was being said out there.
Thompson said Mewshaw did not pick the videos, but interpreted for videos that others requested. He said there was so much canceled culture and that it causes so much damage.
Thompson also showed me that the most recent RSA or HOL videos had a disclaimer that said “HOL does not endorse the content of the video.” That disclaimer was not there in videos on February 1 and prior to that.
There is an ongoing debate within the deaf community and the interpreter community on if Mewshaw violated the RID-NAD Code of Professional Conduct (CPC)’s Tenet 3.8, which says interpreters should “avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest that might cause harm or interfere with the effectiveness of interpreting services.”
On Saturday, the Registry of Interpreters (RID) posted a video and a page about the (CPC) and how it helps to maintain a high level of quality in interpreting work. The RID explained that if someone alleges interpreting misconduct, the person must file a formal complaint with the Ethical Practices System (EPS) within 90 days of the alleged violation. The RID said the EPS complaint process requires many steps with mediators and that it takes an average of 7 to 8 months to determine a resolution.
I reached out to the RID to inquire on if they received complaints specifically about Mewshaw. RID said they require strict standards of confidentiality with the EPS process and sent me a link to the EPS process, which is listed below in the transcript.
According to the RID’s registry search, Mewshaw has NIC Advanced, CT, and CI certifications and freelance status.
I asked the RID if an interpreter’s certifications could be taken away if they were found to violate the RID’s CPC.
The RID said “certification revocation is a potential sanction through the EPS for some egregious violations. However, that is not the system’s only mechanism for resolving conflict. When a case is received it is reviewed to decide if mediation or adjudication is appropriate.”
According to RID’s website, adjudication is when a panel of interpreters evaluates evidence of an alleged violation and determines if it violated the CPC. If the panel determines there was a violation of the CPC, the panel can determine what sanctions should be imposed.
The RID said the “adjudication panel is focused on correcting the behavior and giving the interpreter a chance to amend their decision making rather than automatic revocation.”
That’s all the updates I have for now.
https://www.givesendgo.com/mewshawlegal?fbclid=IwAR3gsSvsA6735vmAZS5h8SHJrYAjxCXr_rZR7boqoj98lWzIPN-V7QYcrHY
https://heathermewshaw.com/
https://rid.org/supporting-quality-in-interpretation/
https://rid.org/ethics/enforcement-procedures/