Switched at Birth


What if you woke up one day and discovered that you are not who you think you are... that when you were only minutes old, you were accidentally separated from your real mother and were taken home by another? The comfort around your “family” would be lost. You would begin to doubt everything you have ever known. In short, your whole world would be turned upside down. Welcome to the life of Bay Kennish and Daphne Vasquez.

In the gripping television show Switched at Birth, two radically different families discover that their daughters are not their own and must quickly adapt when their entirely opposite lives clash. The Kennishes are a rich family who live in Mission Hills, an affluent neighborhood in Kansas City. The Vasquezes live in East Riverside, a poorer side of town.

One of the switched girls, Bay Kennish (played by Vanessa Marano), is a talented artist with a rebellious side. Daphne Vasquez (played by Katie Leclerc), the other, is a warm-hearted girl who lost her hearing to a meningitis infection at a young age. Vanessa Marano’s performance is captivating and brings Bay Kennish to life. Katie Leclerc portrays, in detail, the unique characteristics of deaf culture. For example, she speaks with an accent distinct to some hearing impaired. She has an insight into this, for she herself has a growing hearing problem.

When Bay and Daphne are unexpectedly forced to interact, all sorts of problems arise. As the girls fall in love with people from the “other side of town,” many friendships are ruined and several relationships are put in jeopardy. Every episode leads seamlessly into the next, and you will impatiently be marking off the days until the next one on your calendar.

The exciting and well thought-out show also features a great deal of American Sign Language (ASL). According to ABC Family, it is the first mainstream show to feature scenes entirely in ASL. These scenes use special noise-canceling equipment in order to provide the viewer with a more realistic insight into being deaf. Translations are provided unobtrusively on the bottom of the screen, allowing the viewer to still be successfully caught up in the moment.

The captivating show first premiered on June 6, 2011. The show’s debut was the highest-rated ever on ABC Family. The first episode of Season 3 will premier in January of 2014. Switched at Birth won several outstanding awards including Best Supporting Actress (ALMA award, Gracie award, Imagen award, etc); Best Primetime Program (Imagen Award); Outstanding Producer (Gracie Award); and many more. All 51 episodes are available on Netflix, so log into your account and start watching! Though you might want to get a DNA test first...