HRTS Partners With Easterseals to Relaunch the Darcys
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- HRTS is partnering with Easterseals Disability Services for the 2026 Darcys on Oct. 10 in Santa Monica, described as the organizations' most ambitious collaboration to date.
- The Darcys were founded in 1979 by producer Norman Lear as the Media Access Awards before being rebranded under the new Easterseals Disability Arts & Culture Awards banner.
- The co-sponsored afterparty will feature the debut HRTS Access Leadership Award, honoring an executive or producer whose accessible storytelling has demonstrated a positive business impact.
- Submissions for the Darcys opened June 16 and close July 14, with the HRTS Access Leadership Award nomination process to be announced at a later date.
- HRTS board members JoAnn Alfano, Vivian Cannon, Cliff Decatrel, DJ Nurre, and advisory council member Kelly Goode will co-chair the afterparty.
- The announcement came from HRTS president Tim McNeal, chair David Madden, CEO and HRTS Foundation chair Melissa Grego, and Easterseals Southern California chief advancement officer Nancy Weintraub.
Why it matters: The relaunch rebrands a 46-year-old disability recognition program under a new name backed by Hollywood's main radio-TV society, and the new HRTS Access Leadership Award explicitly ties accessibility advocacy to business impact — giving studio executives a new industry credential to compete for ahead of the Oct. 10 ceremony.
