Easterseals Disability Arts & Culture Awards Honor ‘The Pitt’, PBS Docuseries ‘Renegades’, ‘Facts of Life’ Trailblazer Geri Jewell & More
The inaugural Easterseals Disability Arts & Culture Awards recognised work advancing disability representation in film, television and media. The ceremony, hosted by comedian and cerebral palsy advocate Tina Friml, also urged the industry to hire and fund more disabled talent.
PBS docuseries Renegades won Best Unscripted Series for its five short films about historical figures with disabilities, made with more than 50 disabled filmmakers. HBO’s The Pitt was also among the winners; Facts of Life actor Geri Jewell received the first DARCYS Legacy Award, and Vincent Rutley won the Christopher Reeve Emerging Talent Award.
- The first DARCYS awards honoured disability representation.
- Renegades won Best Unscripted Series.
- Speakers called for more investment in disabled creators.
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Easterseals is a US organisation that supports people with disabilities and works to improve access and inclusion. Its Disability Arts & Culture Awards recognise films, television and other media that portray disability and involve disabled people in making the work.
The awards sit within wider discussions about who gets to tell stories on screen and who finds work in the entertainment industry. They recognise established performers as well as newer talent, while drawing attention to disabled people’s roles as actors, filmmakers and creators.