Hosted by Tony Award-winning actor and disability activist Ali Stroker, honorees and presenters included, among others: Marlee Matlin (CODA, Children of a Lesser God), Marissa Bode (Wicked), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), Nyle DiMarco (America’s Next Top Model, Deaf President Now!), Davis Guggenheim (STILL: a Michael J. Fox Movie, Deaf President Now!), Esco Jouléy (Dying for Sex), Nic Novicki (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Cesily Collette Taylor (Wicked), John Maucere (What?, Law and Order), SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings, The Goonies) and Amber Sealey (Out of My Mind), with special messages from Lily D. Moore (Never Have I Ever, The Other) and Jenny Slater (Dying for Sex).
The evening also featured special performances by Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, Paris Paralympics performer and America’s Got Talent finalist Brian King Joseph and Rick Allen (Def Leppard) & Lauren Monroe.
Marissa Bode, who was presented with the Christopher Reeve Acting Award by her Wicked co-star Cesily Collette Taylor, said during her acceptance speech, “I want us to remind ourselves to extend far beyond just the casting. Disabled people are not something to just cross off a diversity checklist. A reminder: That our voices will always, always matter and that we have a place in this world.”
When Golden Globe- and Emmy-Award winner Henry Winkler presented Marlee Matlin with the inaugural Icon Award, he spoke about the first time he met Marlee when she was just 12 years old and her aunt and uncle had asked him to convince her to not become an actress. “A few years later,” he recalls, “I see her walking across the Paramount lot and she’s trying out for a movie. And then this young lady, who I was told to tell not to become an actress, now has an Oscar! I don’t. Here is a woman who knew what she wanted. Here is a woman who was so powerful, she became an actress—and she became a director and she became a producer.”
Media Access Award with Easterseals winners are selected with input from the diversity committees of their professional guilds, with awards presented by the Casting Society (CSA), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA.
Media Access Award with Easterseals winners are selected with input from the diversity committees of their professional guilds, with awards presented by the Casting Society (CSA), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA.
And the Winners are …
- Icon Award, presented for the first time in the long-standing history of the Media Access Awards to honor an individual whose artistry and advocacy have reached a singular, culture-shifting stature. PRESENTED TO: Marlee Matlin.
- Christopher Reeve Acting Award, a cash award created by Christopher Reeve, celebrating a young, up-and-coming disabled actor in support of their career in film or television. PRESENTED TO: Marissa Bode (Wicked).
- WGA West Evan Somers Memorial Award, for achievement in writing accurate, three-dimensional disabled characters and storylines. PRESENTED TO: Liz Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart and Keisha Zollar.
- Easterseals Impact Award, honoring individuals advancing disability acceptance and inclusion in entertainment, philanthropy or public discourse. PRESENTED TO: Jay Manuel and Pamela Manuel (Jay & Pamela).
- Casting Society Award, recognizing casting agents who seek out and champion disabled performers for both disability-specific and general roles. PRESENTED TO: Paul Schnee (Out of My Mind, The Girl on the Train) and Kerry Barden (Ezra, The Help).
- SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award, presented in honor of the first disabled actor to receive an Academy Award, recognizing their profound commitment to advancing authentic disability representation in film. PRESENTED TO: Anita Hollander, actor and activist, former National Chair, SAG-AFTRA Performers with Disabilities.
- Best Documentary, awarded to a nonfiction film that exemplifies excellence in storytelling, impact and craft. PRESENTED TO: Co-Producer/Directors Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim for the film Deaf President Now!
