Julia Linde

Julia is a historian, researcher, and advocate focused on accessibility, neurodiversity, and how we tell human stories in meaningful, inclusive ways.

She holds a BA in History from Bryn Athyn College and is completing her MA in History at Villanova University, where her work centers on public history, museum studies, disability theory, and the representation of neurodivergence—both in the historical record and in present-day spaces.

In 2024, Julia was awarded a Summer Research Fellowship through Villanova to study autism accessibility in history museums. Her research, The State of Accommodations for Neurodivergent Children in History Museums, explores how institutions can better support inclusion—and she continues to apply these findings in local museum settings.

Julia is also a published academic author. Her article, Triumph Rather Than Tragedy: The Wheelchair of Justin Dart, examines how museums have historically portrayed disability and how they can move toward more ethical, dignity-centered narratives. The piece will appear in the 2026 edition of Concept, Villanova University’s graduate research journal.

Her current research explores changeling myths in European folklore and how these stories may have developed as early explanations for developmental differences, offering insight into how societies have historically understood—and misunderstood—neurodivergence.

Outside of her academic work, Julia has been part of the Shared Wellness team since 2020 as an administrative assistant and has worked with Glencairn Museum since 2018.

Julia is also personally connected to this work. As someone on the autism spectrum, with many neurodivergent family members and friends, her research is deeply rooted in lived experience. She is driven by the belief that future generations deserve a world where they are understood, included, and able to fully be themselves.

She lives in Hatboro with her two rescue cats, Ziggy Stardust and Lady Stardust.