Spectrum Designs, the Port Washington apparel and promotional products business dedicated to employing adults on the autism spectrum, launched its latest campaign and announced future expansion on Monday, March 31, ahead of Autism Awareness Month.
Spectrum’s decoration specialist, Spencer Pusey, took center stage at the packed-out open house event as he presented the company’s newest commercial. In the advertisement, Pusey removes a mask of his own face, symbolizing the freedom he feels being himself while working for the company, where around 65% of the staff are on the autism spectrum.
Company leaders also said the team is looking into expanding its facilities, which currently operate in Port Washington and Westchester, to New Jersey and Florida.
“Like many autistic people, I like to keep to myself, but I don’t want your pity,” Pusey said. “I don’t want you to talk to me like a child, and I don’t want to bag your groceries. I want more than a job, I want a career. And at Spectrum Designs, I have one!”
Before showing the new advertisement campaign to the crowd of a few dozen community members, including Town of North Hempstead Council Member Christine Liu, company leadership gave tours of the Spectrum Designs’ facilities.
Deanna Nissen, director of administration, said employees work at designated stations where they can best demonstrate their skill sets. Whether screen-printing T-shirts, putting apparel through heat presses, or folding and bagging the final product, employees work together as a team to produce thousands of articles of apparel each day.
Since launching in 2011, Spectrum Designs has made inroads with the community by providing meaningful jobs for those on the autism spectrum, Co-founder and CEO Patrick Bardsley said. In the United States, nearly 85% of adults on the autism spectrum are unemployed, Spectrum Designs said.
Bardsley also said the company has seen consistent growth over the past decade, but the business has gained significant traction on its social media platforms after marketing and development specialist Kelli Fisher joined the team.
“I’ve known all along that there were amazing, magical things happening here all the time,” Bardsley said. “And so to be able to have the platform and the spotlight shine on the hardworking team, people like Kelli and all the guys we have here, that’s amazing.”
Last year, Spectrum Designs released a video showcasing its staff members that gained over 25 million views. Celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Meghan Trainor, and SZA shared the post with their large fan bases.
With sales reaching nearly $7 million in 2024, Fisher and Bardsley appeared on the Kelly Clarkson show in February to share their story with the world.
“I hope we keep spreading out the mission and show that autistic people are capable of whatever they put their minds to,” Fisher said. “I was told I wouldn’t get my driver’s license or succeed in college, and now I have a full-time job running our social media, so anything is possible if you just believe in autistic people and they have the right support around them.”
Along with launching their new commercial encouraging people on the autism spectrum not to be afraid to express themselves, Fisher was finishing preparations to take the stage at the comedy event “Night of Too Many Stars,” hosted by Jon Stewart, at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan that same night.
At the comedy event, which benefits the organization NEXT for AUTISM, Fisher would throw Spectrum Designs shirts into the crowd with Jon Stewart and introduce Adam Sandler.
Increasing public awareness isn’t the only way Spectrum Designs is expanding. The company has more than 70 employees across its Westchester and Port Washington facilities, and is expanding to new franchises in New Jersey and Florida. Bardsley said the new facilities would serve as smaller-scale satellites to provide jobs for each area’s neurodiverse community.
After premiering the new commercial, which will air on ABC this week, and features Pusey removing his mask and showcasing staff members hard at work, Pusey reflected on the company’s initiative.
“Masking means that you’re hiding who you truly are, you have to hide it to be a part of ‘normal’ society,” Pusey said. “I say, throw away the mask.”
