ABC Family searches for deaf actress to star in new TV show

On October 5, 2010, ABC Family posted a casting call on their website, looking for a deaf female actress and two deaf male actors to star in a new TV show.

The website asks that the characters resemble these descriptions:

"DAPHNE - actress must be deaf or hard of hearing and must speak English well, American Sign Language preferred. Age range from 16 to early 20’s to play high school. Actress is to be light-haired or willing to dye hair blond for the role, and if the show moves to series, actress must be willing to relocate to Los Angeles in February.

Smart, confident, and well-adjusted Daphne is stunned to learn that she and Bay Kennish were accidentally switched at birth 15 years ago. Having grown up in a working-class household as the only child of a single mom, she is excited to meet her new parents, and especially thrilled at the idea of having brothers and a dad. But balancing two families is trickier than she expected, particularly because her biological parents have never been around anyone deaf, and are eager for her to enter a mainstream school and a less deaf-centric world.

EMMETT - 16, actor must be deaf or hard of hearing, must be fluent in American Sign Language. Emmett is Daphne's best friend. Raised by deaf parents and educated in a deaf school, Emmett doesn't talk orally, and is more comfortable in a deaf world. Rugged, reserved, a young deaf James Dean.

PENN - late 30’s or 40’s. Male, actor must be deaf or hard of hearing, must speak English well. Penn is Emmett's father and Daphne's mother's best friend. Penn is the one who educated Daphne's mother about the importance of learning sign, schooling Daphne in a deaf world, etc."

It seems as though the show will tackle various issues regarding being deaf, but also everyday life issues. Daphne, for instance, will meet her biological parents, who are not familiar with being around deaf people, and want to get her more involved in mainstream schooling and culture. Emmett, on the other hand, is very comfortable around the deaf community, but not at all comfortable with mainstream society because of his upbringing.

I know many people with disabilities who are not comfortable around "mainstream" society, and are only comfortable around other people with disabilities. For those people, adapting to the world outside of disabilities can be very difficult, so it will be very interesting to see how ABC handles this issue.

I also think it will be wonderful to have another show that highlights different lifestyles, especially for young teens. ABC Family, after all, is meant to be watched by families. By young people watching this show with their parents, both audiences can learn about what life is like being deaf and how to handle questions and curiousities about people with disabilities.

Let's keep our eye out for this show and hope it does well in the ratings so it can turn into a series.

For more information about how to audition for the various roles, visit http://abcfamily.go.com/site/news/abc-family-searching-deaf-actress-star-new-tv-show/576979.