Linda was the Sesame Street human character who worked as a librarian and communicated using American Sign Language. She was played by Linda Bove, a deaf actress who joined the program in 1971.
The character was created as a person first, rather than as a lesson about deafness. Linda had ordinary interests, friendships and storylines, while her use of ASL naturally introduced signing to the show's broad audience. She was also Bob Johnson's girlfriend, linking her to one of the program's original human characters.
Linda became an important representation of deaf people on children's television and was described as the longest-running deaf character in television history. The other choices are different Sesame Street characters: Ruthie was associated with the Furry Arms Hotel, Olivia was Gordon's sister, and Gina worked as a veterinarian. Linda appeared on the program from 1971 to 2002.