Linda J. Walder
Linda J. Walder is the Founder and Executive Director of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, the first organization in the United States, established 15 years ago that focuses exclusively on developing, advocating for and funding a wide array of programs, services, resources and support systems that benefit the diverse population of adults living with autism. The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation is a world recognized pioneering organization that has been a trailblazer in recognizing and addressing the needs of adults on the autism spectrum. In 2015, The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation launched and established the first adult autism research fund in the world at Yale Medical School that is funded in perpetuity to explore aging and autism and the science of autism throughout the lifespan. In 2015, The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation also established at the University of Miami, the Division on Transition and Adulthood that will lead the nation in creating blueprint model programs that serve adults living with autism and their families. Linda J. Walder has received numerous accolades for her accomplishments on behalf of the autism community including being featured in Redbook Magazine, Traditional Home Magazine, NJ Monthly Magazine and a numerous other publications. In 2015 she was the featured expert on Dateline NBC's "On the Brink" special that for the first time showed millions of viewers the challenges adults and their families face as they age with autism. Linda has received honorable recognition from the United States Senate including the "Evangelina Menendez Trailblazer Award" from United States Senator Robert Menendez and the Jefferson Award given to the nation's leading volunteers. Linda is the proud mother of Ava Jayne Fiddle who is studying for her Master's Degree at New York University.