New Twist On An Old Plot

Switched At Birth is the new drama on ABC Family about kids who were, you guessed it, switched at birth.  That old story goes back before Shakespeare, but this new vision has a character who is slightly out of the norm.  She's a deaf girl in public high school, and that is enough to set this retelling apart from many others.

The new ABC Family series (Monday, 9/8c) follows two girls who discover they accidentally ended up with the wrong family as newborns. Bay Kennish, played by Vanessa Marano, grew up in a wealthy family. Daphne Vasquez, played by Leclerc, lost her hearing at an early age and grew up in a working-class neighborhood with her single mother. After learning of the mistake, the two very different families must learn to live together for the sake of their girls.

Leclerclearned American Sign Language in high school — then was diagnosed at age 20 with Meniere's disease, an inner-ear disorder that can affect balance and hearing. Now 24, she calls those coincidences serendipitous and says she feels like she's been preparing for the role of Daphne for a long time. While the actress has full hearing, she says, "I've spent a long time being in the deaf world and the hearing world and I feel very comfortable in both." With an ASL instructor on the set at all times, Leclerc also worked closely with producers to ensure they'd be portraying the deaf accurately. "We figured out where Daphne's hearing loss would be and we mapped it out and figured what sounds she could say and what sounds she couldn't say."

A lot of thought went into this character, and for practical reasons it is very rare to have a main character have so much going on apart from the other characters.  It's great to see that someone cared about getting it right.   The deaf population is largely ignored in our society, and I can't imagine anything more frustrating than almost everyone you meet not knowing your language, while you struggle to accommodate them.  If done properly this can take a step towards bridging a mighty large gap.  I'm not fond of phrases like "raising awareness" and "new perspectives" but once in a while they are spot on.  I have no idea if this is a great show, but it seems like a heck of a good attempt.