During Autism Acceptance Month,Spectrum Designsmarked a milestone 15 years in the making, celebrating its growth from a backyard startup into a multimillion-dollar nonprofit business employing dozens of people, most of whom are on the autism spectrum.

The anniversary event, held April 9 at the company’s Port Washington headquarters, included proclamations from local and state officials and highlighted the organization’s mission of creating meaningful employment opportunities for neurodiverse individuals.

Today, Spectrum Designs employs 84 team members, with more than 70% identifying as neurodiverse, and reported more than $8 million in sales in 2025, a record high.

Founded in 2011, Spectrum Designs began with a simple but urgent question: What happens to young adults with autism after they age out of school systems?

“The necessity is the mother of all inventions,” said co-founder and CEO Patrick Bardsley. “We looked at that necessity of what happens next … and the truth is, they face an 85% unemployment rate in the United States, which is just unacceptably high for us.”

Bardsley’s motivation traces back to his teenage years working at a summer camp in the United States, where he supported children on the autism spectrum. One conversation with a parent left a lasting impression.

“I’ll never forget … a mother who shared that her wish, one wish in life, is to live one day longer than her child so that she could guarantee she’d always be there to take care of them,” Bardsley said. “That just struck me and I just said, OK, we need to do something about this.”

From its humble beginnings — “a small backyard barn with two employees and one customer,” Bardsley said — Spectrum Designs has grown into a full-service custom apparel and promotional products company. It offers screen printing, embroidery and direct-to-garment printing, serving clients ranging from local businesses to global brands.

But the company’s mission extends beyond production.

“We were always out to kind of prove a point that this wasn’t just a charity,” Bardsley said. “This was a real business … focused on putting out quality products that represent the capabilities of people with disabilities.”

Source: LI Press