When I was 15, I didn't know anything about deaf people.
I mean, of course, I knew the basics of what I had heard about them, such as the fact that they couldn't hear, that they use sign language to communicate, that they usually don't talk due to the fact that they've never been able to hear. I didn't really think about the lives of deaf people often, but when I did, I usually pictured a life with decreased quality, and I tend to pity them because of that. I think most people do.
When I was 15, "Switched At Birth" was created.
I started watching it on a random Thanksgiving while I was bored and waiting for dinner to be ready. At the time, there were only 10 episodes out. I first thought it was a show about two teenagers who were switched at birth, which was true. But I didn't know there was a whole different side to the show. A side that would open my eyes to a community I never knew about and would change my life.
In the show, one of the teenagers was deaf. At first, this garners pity from viewers, pity for not only her but her parents as well. However, as the series progresses, we get to know this teenage girl, and all pity seems to fade away. Instead, we are met with admiration. This girl is more determined, more capable, more intelligent and more persevering than half the people I know. She goes for what she wants despite the people who tell her she can't because of her disability. She shows us that she doesn't need our pity. Also, we are shown that deaf people are just people with an extra obstacle, and we should not feel bad because they can do everything that hearing people can, and sometimes more.
This show displays deaf people being able to do all kinds of amazing things, such as play sports, make art, and make movies. Of course, it also shows the obstacles they face along the way- unsupportive parents, discrimination, feelings of self-doubt, because those are all very real too. But who doesn't face obstacles? If anything, it shows that their deafness makes them stronger and more ready to face these obstacles.
Not only does the show depict issues exclusive to the deaf community, but as with most ABC Family (now Freeform) programs, it tackles issues that a lot of teenagers go through: issues of sexual assault, mental illness, abuse, drug use, cyber bullying, and they even recently did a whole episode dedicated to Black Lives Matter and racism on college campuses. This show truly encompasses a teenage experience, and not only one of hearing people but also of deaf people.
Sadly, on April 11th, 2017, the show aired its series finale and we had to say goodbye to the characters we all came to know and love. I do believe that the show had run its course, and that it ended at the perfect time, but its ending did leave a part of me sad. "Switched At Birth" was a staple of my life during my key teenage years, and I learned a lot from it, not only about a community that I had not been exposed to before, but also about things that I would have been going through myself.
Maybe it's symbolic, and the show came to an end just as my teenage years did, as a sign of the times I'm leaving behind. Or maybe I'm looking too far into it and five seasons is enough for this show. But after all of those years, I can truly say that this show changed my life and had a big impact on my view of the world.
In the end, all I have to say is, thank you "Switched At Birth."
