Her mother remembers noticing something was wrong when the eight-year-old Evelyn was waiting to play the piano "They called her name and she didn't move. I suddenly realised she hadn't heard," says Isabel Glennie. For quite a while Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers. But by the time she was eleven her marks had deteriorated and her headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist.
(a) Who noticed Evelyn's hearing disability and when?
(b) How did the percussionist Mr. Ron Forbes help Evelyn achieve her goal?
(c) How did Evelyn reach the peak of her career?
(d) Why did Evelyn tour the world?
(e) "She achieved more than most people twice her age." What did Evelyn achieve that made her a
shining star?
Answers
Explanation:
Evelyn's deafness had started when she was young. It had gradually deteriorated as she aged. Her mother, Isabel Glennie, recalls that she called her daughter and she did not respond. That is when she realised that Evelyn had a problem with hearing. Evelyn was eight years old when this incident happened. The strong-willed Evelyn tried to hide it from her teachers and friends for another three years. When she was eleven, she started losing marks because of this problem and her headmistress forced her parents to take her to a doctor. It was discovered that her problem was due to a gradual nerve damage. She was advised to fit hearing aids in her ears and that she had to be sent to a special school for deaf children. The whole situation was very shocking and sorrowful for Evelyn.