Called a “ground-breaking episode, a first for a scripted series on mainstream television,” on ABC Family’s website, the all-signed episode of Switched At Birth aired on March 4.
Switched explores issues of deaf discrimination, coming of age and identity with an innovative new show. “It’s an exciting, visual, empowering story of kids, who are different, fighting back, and it allows our audience to experience the world as our deaf characters do,” show producer Lizzy Weiss said to ABC.
Integrating American Sign Language into every episode with several deaf main characters, Weiss said the all-ASL episode is something the show has “been building to … for 39 episodes.”
Star Katie Leclerc, who has a real-life degenerative hearing disorder, said in a New York Post article that in the U.S. the “deaf world and hearing world are so separate.”
“I really don’t think it has to be that way. I hope our show can be the catalyst to help form a bridge between those worlds,” she said.
As a result, Weiss’ ambitious goal has sparked interest in both the hearing and deaf communities.
According the National Association for the Deaf, president Chris Wagner said “This is just the beginning. This historic show is truly a positive move forward for deaf and hard of hearing people … [ as it] increases awareness about American Sign Language with the whole world.”