Clive Mason (born 1954) is a
Deaf Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
television presenter
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...
and
actor.
Early life
Mason was born in
Glasgow,
Scotland in 1954. Deaf since birth, he entered a school for deaf children when he was five years old. Until then, he had not been taught sign language and felt isolated due to communication problems.
Career
Before starting his career in television, Mason had worked closely with
Paddy Ladd
Paddy Ladd (born February 11, 1952) is an English deaf scholar, author, activist and researcher of deaf culture. Ladd was a lecturer and MSc Coordinator (MSc in Deaf Studies to approx 2007, then after a brief pause, MSc in Deafhood Studies 2009) ...
, a deaf academic, who was researching and filming
BSL in which Mason appeared as a BSL actor. When Mason was made redundant, he entered further education. Whilst at college, the
BBC saw Mason in one of Ladd's BSL research videos and offered Mason a TV presenting job on ''
See Hear
''See Hear'' is a monthly magazine programme for deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the United Kingdom, broadcast on Wednesday mornings at 8.00am. The programme focuses on the British and the worldwide deaf community and covers a broad range of ...
'', a programme for deaf and
hard of hearing
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken l ...
people, in 1984.
In addition to his job, Mason appeared in various
Christmas shows and
pantomime specials. He had also appeared as a regular guest in the BBC Schools' programme ''
You and Me'' with Cosmo and Dibs.
In 2005, Mason was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Remark! Film & TV Awards for his activism in Deaf issues. Judges considered Mason a "Deaf icon" and have commended him for inspiring young deaf people to enter the
media industry.
From 2005 and 2008, Mason took part in national tours to provide a BSL version of the Harry Potter films, including ''
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and W ...
'' and ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', to increase accessibility for deaf children and children of deaf adults.
He has also achieved Level 4 NVQ qualification in British Sign Language at the Action on Hearing Loss, RNID. Clive said "This qualification will enable me to go forward and achieve my A1 assessor certificate. I have always been in the media world and would like to extend my skills to NVQ 3 teaching and assessing and work for universities. I would also like to encourage local deaf people to work alongside me."
In 2012, Clive Mason, currently a Teaching Fellow in Bristol University's Centre for Deaf Studies, won Teacher of the Year for the South West region in the 2012 Signature Annual Awards. The awards are designed to "recognise individuals whose dedicated efforts help to overcome the communication barriers that Deaf people encounter in everyday life."
Teacher of the Year award goes to Centre for Deaf Studies Teaching Fellow
Some credit Mason as the first Deaf person to use British Sign Language (BSL) on British television.
References
External links
''See Hear''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Clive
Deaf television presenters
Scottish television presenters
Living people
Mass media people from Glasgow
Scottish male television actors
Male deaf actors
1954 births
Scottish deaf people
BSL users
Television presenters with disabilities