Is Linda actually deaf?

[camillachick]

My fiance tells me he saw a television interview with Linda Bove, the deaf woman on Sesame Street, and she was talking clearly. He couldn't tell me what it was he was watching, so I can't refer you to the actual interview. She spoke about what it was like to be playing a deaf person on Sesame Street. Now maybe he misinterpreted the interview since he didn't catch the entire thing, or maybe Linda is not deaf.
Can anyone confirm or disprove this for me? I know that some deaf people can speak, but their voices tend to sound a bit unusual because they can't actually hear themselves. Linda sometimes half-speaks her signed words on Sesame Street and they sound low and nasally. I'm really not sure what to think here, so any clarification would help.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Yes, Linda Bove really is deaf. Here's a page with some biographical information about her.

Btw; She's no longer a part of the Sesame Street cast and she hasn't been since the last season.

 

[camillachick]

So that means she must have worked hard to learn to speak very naturally. I know that you can be classified as deaf and not be totally deaf. I wonder if she is partly hearing. I admire her work on the show. I learned a lot of sign from Sesame Street.

 

[Xerus]

I remember there were times when Linda said, "NO!" Mainly in one episode when she kept saying it to Oscar.

 

[Daffyfan4ever]

I never knew that. I know quite a few deaf people that can talk very well, so that's very believable. I don't recall Linda ever 'talking' on Sesame Street. If she can talk clearly in real life, they probably should have shown it more on the show.

 

[JaniceFerSure]

Look for Linda's cameo in the movie Children of a Lesser God.Very fond of Linda's work myself.I started learning sign-language(self-taught at age 9).

 

[salemfan]

Why'd Linda leave the show?

 

[Cheebo]

Why'd Linda leave the show?

She had worked on the show over 30 years and was getting old. Quite simply she retired. Since Barkley was her dog he also left the show when she did. It is nto like was was phased out either, he had a couple episodes in her last season.

 

[Mickey Moose]

I also recall seeing her do a guest appearance on Happy Days. She played a deaf woman there as well. Fonzie was interested in her romantically, and learned how to sign "Happy Birthday To You" for her birthday.