On August 13, 2014, ABC Family announced that it has picked up a fourth season of its hit original drama series Switched at Birth,[1] premiering on January 6, 2015.
The one-hour scripted drama revolves around two young women who discover they were switched at birth and grew up in very different environments.
Daphne decides to put off Gallaudet, going to the nearby University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) so she can support Bay, who is unhappy with her decision.
Meanwhile, Daphne struggles with Josh taking interpreting too far, Regina is still hated by the East Riverside people, and there are plans to turn Kathryn's book into a movie.
Daphne and Mingo, a hearing student on her floor, organize a dorm triathlon to compete for control over the best bathroom.
Daphne is invited with four other women members of her chemistry class to Professor Marillo's house where she once again clashes with Vimla.
To keep her mind off Emmett, who is avoiding her, Bay agrees to be a baseball assistant to John and also tries to help Travis and Mary Beth get over a rough patch in their relationship.
Toby gets mad at Kathryn for talking to Lily about her feelings, but must put everything aside to perform their "Batter Up" showcase for a Broadway reviewer.
Meanwhile, Bay has flown in to surprise Emmett and put plans together for them in L.A., but finds out that a short film he pitched included personal details about their relationship and the incident with Tank.
She becomes paranoid about rumors people are spreading about her, while Kathryn tries to save Melody's job by volunteering to talk with a parent who pulled their student out of the deaf program because of the incident.
Eric asks Regina to move in with him, but before she says yes, she decides to take Daphne on a trip to Atlanta to discover what has become of his ex-wife, Hope Paxton.
Daphne goes on ambulance ride-alongs as a part of her training to become her dorm's safety captain, but a particular accident unexpectedly drags up memories from the night of Angelo's death.
Meanwhile, John and Kathryn look to endorse products for some easy money, but find that their names don't hold as much value as they had originally thought.
Melody brings Daphne, Bay, and Travis with her to Mexico to help distribute hearing aids to deaf locals.
Emmett unexpectedly shows up and when Bay learns that he has started seeing Skye, it sends her into a jealous fury.
Things go awry when it's revealed that Mingo's father Larry is the business manager that John holds responsible for sending the family into financial ruin.
Meanwhile, after Professor Marillo tells her that she won't make it as a doctor, Daphne digs deeper and helps a friend keep pursuing her potential as well.
Ten months later, the two girls are settled abroad when Bay gets a phone call about an emergency back home.