ABC Family to Air All-ASL Episode of SWITCHED AT BIRTH, 3/4

In an all-new episode of "Switched at Birth" told entirely in American Sign Language (ASL), the students at Carlton School for the Deaf protest to keep their school open. The ground-breaking episode, a first for a scripted series on mainstream television, will air Monday, March 4 at 8:00PM ET/PT on ABC Family.

When news of the school's closing spreads throughout campus, Daphne leads the students of Carlton School for the Deaf in arranging a demonstration to take place on the eve of the "Romeo and Juliet" play, in which Daphne has the lead role. Meanwhile, as one of a handful of hearing students in the school, Bay's attempt to be part of the campaign is challenged.

The storyline was inspired by the real-life "Deaf President Now" protests at Gallaudet University that took place 25 years ago this March.

"Switched at Birth" is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss ("Blue Crush"), Paul Stupin ("Make It or Break It"), Becky Hartman Edwards ("Parenthood") and John Ziffren ("Melissa & Joey," "Make It or Break It"). The series stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano ("Gilmore Girls") as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie ("George Lopez") as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett ("Friday Night Lights") as John Kennish; Lea Thompson ("Back to the Future," "Caroline in the City") as Kathryn Kennish; Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical") as Toby Kennish; Sean Berdy as Emmett Bledsoe; and Gilles Marini ("Brothers and Sisters") as Angelo Sorrento with guest star Marlee Matlin ("The West Wing").

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships - told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and Community features, from rich, fan-centric programming - including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network's hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.

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