SAG-AFTRA Members Eric Graise, Michael J. Fox Among Media Access Awards Honorees

The 2024 Media Access Awards aired on PBS SoCal on Nov. 25, and on PBS stations across the nation. The annual ceremony, presented by nonprofit Easterseals Community and Disability Services, celebrates individuals, organizations and works helping to redefine the on-screen representation of people with disabilities and advance employment opportunities for the community within the industry at large. The SAG-AFTRA National Performers with Disabilities Committee was instrumental in selecting honorees, alongside diversity committees from the Producers Guild of America, Casting Society of America and the Writers Guild of America West.

This year’s show was hosted by actor and disability activist Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (NCIS: New Orleans) with Selma Blair (Introducing Selma Blair), Marlee Matlin (CODA), Millicent Simmons (A Quiet Place), and National PWD Committee member Nic Novicki (Boardwalk Empire) among the presenters. SAG-AFTRA member and actor-director Eric Graise, who is most known for his roles in Locke & Key (2020), The Tomorrow War (2021) and Queer as Folk (2022), received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award. The award recognizes an individual whose work has substantially contributed to the overall awareness of the disability experience.

“I always tell people, ‘I’m not an advocate for disability — I advocate.’ I think the people who deserve the title of ‘advocate’ are the ones who dedicate their lives and careers for this,” said Graise, who acknowledged the National PWD Committee for their nomination.

“I dedicate this award to the artists who have had to struggle to be seen for their creativity and not just the way they look. I dedicate this to the writers, directors and producers who take a chance to write a well-rounded disabled character who’s not just there for representation. And I dedicate this to all of you here celebrating these artists.”

SAG-AFTRA member Michael J. Fox, founder of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, was the 2024 recipient of the Media Access Norman Lear-Geri Jewell Lifetime Achievement Award. The award, which is respectively named after Lear, a noted producer and the founder of the Media Access Awards, and Jewell, the first woman with a disability to play a recurring role in a primetime comedy series, recognized Fox’s longtime career as both an actor and activist.

Fox thanked the Easterseals for the honor in a recorded acceptance message.

“I’m very grateful for the Lifetime Achievement Award and I’m especially grateful that I’m being associated with Norman Lear and Geri Jewell, two amazing people I have worked with [in my career],” said Fox, who went on to share how knowing his relationship with both impacted him personally and professionally.

He concluded by saying, “Optimism is a political act. It takes a lot to be grateful — and just like gratitude, optimism is a savior.”

Other honorees included television writer Marion Dayre (Better Call Saul), actor Joshua Feldman (Echo), actor-writer Shoshannah Stern (Weeds), actor-model Jillian Mercado, casting director Maribeth Fox (A Quiet Place) and actor-model Danny Kurtzman.

Alexandra Reeve Givens, the daughter of the late Superman actor and disability advocate Christopher Reeve, also gave a tribute in remembrance of her father’s pioneer efforts towards greater disability inclusion.

The 2024 Media Access Awards was recorded live on Oct. 29. A full replay of the 2024 Media Access Awards is now available on pbssocal.org.

The Easterseals is a national nonprofit organization providing essential services and on-the-ground support for people with disabilities. In addition to early childhood programs, autism and veterans’ services, and medical rehabilitation and employment programs, it pushes for public education, policy and advocacy initiatives to better address community needs.

Photo:SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award recipient Eric Graise on stage during the ceremony. Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images.