In actuality, it takes time to adjust to the sounds one is hearing because it is not a natural thing to hear. People have to learn what sounds are and through time will be able to master the art of listening and hearing.
Biderman has overcome much adversity in her life to get to where she is today. She has accomplished many things, along with becoming a successful computer systems analyst, an editor of CONTACT (a journal). Throughout school, teachers and students alike did not realize that Beverly was deaf and so she got yelled at and made fun of for not understanding things. Even when teachers were made aware of Beverly's situation, some would not attempt to help her, instead making things harder on her. Because she never learned sign language, she had to rely on lip-reading, which she was excellent at. However, this meant the speaker had to be looking directly at her or in a direction that she could see their mouth. Those students and teachers inconsiderate of this wouldn't" bother to help her out in this way, making things more difficult on her. Regardless of this, she did well enough in school to win an entrance scholarship to a liberal arts school, Glendon at York University. She then did well enough while in school to keep her scholarship. She credits this to the fact that she probably read more of the textbook than did any of her classmates. Also, she tells us that she never made any real close friends because she was too busy "surviving". Since she didn't tell anyone she was deaf, she had no special treatment or considerations and went to school as a "normal" hearing person (P50). Funny to imagine that she was the first in her family to go to a university, yet she felt as though she had been a disappointment when she was younger. .
Although Beverly is a successful woman, in that she has a good job, and a husband and son, she still decided to get a cochlear implant after "surviving" decades without it.
