Clive Mason

<!-- Note: Where "Deaf" is given with a capital D is correct as it denotes somebody as being culturally deaf as opposed to just someone who has become deaf -->Clive Mason is a Deaf British television presenter born in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. He was the first person to use British Sign Language (BSL) on television. It was not until 2003 that BSL was recognised by the government as a language in its own right.

Early life

Mason was born deaf, and at the age of five, he entered a school for deaf children. Before this age he had not been taught sign language and felt isolated due to the communication barrier.

Career

Before his career in television, Mason worked closely with Paddy Ladd, a deaf academic, who was researching BSL at a local polytechnic. Mason had been made redundant and decided to attend college. It was shortly after this that the BBC saw a video of Mason which was made as part of its research into BSL. It was from this that Mason was offered a job on See Hear, a programme for deaf and hard of hearing people. He was involved in various Christmas shows and pantomime specials. He also featured regularly as a guest in the BBC Schools programme You and Me with Cosmo and Dibs. Twenty years later he is still with See Hear and is the longest-serving member of staff on the programme. Due to his passion for highlighting issues of concern among the Deaf, in 2005 at the Remark! Film & TV Awards, Mason was presented with a lifetime achievement...
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