The Media Access Awards with Easterseals, an EMMY-winning television show, hosted by Ali Stroker taped their annual ceremony. The awards honors artists, storytellers and projects that champion disability inclusion in front of and behind the camera. This year’s show continued the tradition of being the only fully accessible awards ceremony in history, and featured inspiring moments from stars including Marlee Matlin, Marissa Bode, Anita Hollander, Nyle DiMarco, Jay and Pamela Manuel, Paul Schnee, Kerry Barden and more.

The 2025 Media Access Awards with Easterseals will premiere on Wednesday, November 5 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus (formerly KCET) and Friday, November 7 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal, followed by additional PBS stations nationwide starting Saturday, November 15 (check local listings). The show will be available to stream on the PBS App concurrently with the premiere.

Honorees are selected by the diversity committees of their professional guilds, with awards presented by the Casting Society (CSA), the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA. The 2025 honorees include:

Marlee Matlin (“CODA,” “Children of a Lesser God”) – 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.
Liz Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart and Keisha Zollar – WGA West Evan Somers Memorial Award, for achievement in writing accurate, three-dimensional disabled characters and storylines.
Jay Manuel and Pamela Manuel (“Jay & Pamela”) – Easterseals Impact Award, honoring individuals advancing disability acceptance and inclusion in entertainment, philanthropy or public discourse.
Paul Schnee (“Out of My Mind,” “The Girl on the Train”) and Kerry Barden (“Ezra,” “The Help”) – Casting Society Award, recognizing casting agents who seek out and champion disabled performers for both disability-specific and general roles.
Marissa Bode (“Wicked”) – 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.
Anita Hollander (actor and activist, former National Chair, SAG-AFTRA Performers with Disabilities) – 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.
Nyle DiMarco (“Deaf President Now!,” “America’s Next Top Model”) and Davis Guggenheim (“Deaf President Now!”, “STILL: a Michael J. Fox Movie”) – Best Documentary Award, awarded to a nonfiction film that exemplifies excellence in storytelling, impact, and craft.
Presenters set to take the stage throughout the evening include Henry Winkler (“Happy Days”), Esco Jouléy (“Dying for Sex”), Nic Novicki (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), Cesily Collette Taylor (“Wicked”), John Maucere (“What?,” “Law and Order”), Sean Astin (“The Lord of the Rings,” “The Goonies”) and more, with special messages from Lily D. Moore (“Never Have I Ever, ” “The Other”) and Jenny Slater (“Dying for Sex”).

The evening will also feature special performances by b-boy Luca “Lazylegs” Patuelli, Paris Paralympics Performer and America’s Got Talent finalist Brian King Joseph, and Rick Allen (Def Leppard) & Lauren Monroe, along with surprise appearances throughout the show.

Founded by the late Norman Lear in 1979, the Media Access Awards pioneered the celebration of on-screen representation for the disability community–the world’s largest minority group–and has since grown into an Emmy-winning PBS broadcast reaching millions.

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