Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin was bestowed the Visionary Award at the 2013 Media Access Awards ceremony for his positive portrayal of disability. Martin, who penned the best-selling fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which HBO adapted for its hit series Game of Thrones, was on hand to be recognized Oct. 17 at the Los Angeles ceremony.
Game of Thrones prominently features characters with disabilities, including a paralyzed boy who employs a cognitively-disabled personal assistant. The most well-known character with a disability on the show is the shrewd, calculating dwarf, played by Peter Dinklage, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion in 2011.
These characters are real and nuanced, and the reactions of those around them are as well. For example, the boy with a spinal cord injury, Bran, is shown as moving from being frustrated at what he can no longer do to learning how to adapt and do as much as he can, often to the surprise of those around him.
“Though it may be my name on the award, David Benioff, Dan Weiss, Brian Cogman, our amazing cast and crew, and our incredible directors won this just as much as I did,” says Martin. “None of this would have possible without the support of HBO.”
The Media Access Awards, created in 1979, honors the entertainment and broadcast industries for their efforts in promoting awareness of the disability experience, accessibility for people with disabilities, and the accurate depiction of characters with disabilities.