Neurodivergent Workers Wanted For New NJ Design Firm

HACKENSACK, NJ — A design and apparel company built around hiring people on the autism spectrum is expanding into New Jersey, opening a new location with plans to create jobs in a workforce long marked by high unemployment.

Spectrum Designs, a New York-based business with nearly 90 employees, will launch the site in May with six positions and plans to double that number within a year, co-founder and CEO Patrick Bardsley said.

“New Jersey has been a goal of ours,” Bardsley said. “We always had the kind of dream of getting into it and setting up and helping New Jerseyans.”

The company produces customized apparel and promotional products, from T-shirts and hoodies to mugs and pens, but its workforce model defines its mission.

About 70 percent of employees are on the autism spectrum or identify as neurodivergent, a structure Bardsley said responds directly to gaps in employment.

U.S. studies vary, but research indicates roughly 40 percent of adults on the autism spectrum have never held a job.

“The business was born out of necessity," he said.

Inside its production spaces, employees fill a range of roles, from design and marketing to warehouse fulfillment and administration. The company trains workers across departments, pairing repetitive tasks with creative work.

“We want to offer opportunities to people who need minimal support … to those who need potentially one-on-one support," Bardsley said.

Kelli Fisher, a marketing and development specialist who is on the spectrum, said the company’s approach differs from traditional hiring practices.

“Before this I only had part-time jobs, and even just getting the part-time jobs was hard,” Fisher said. “On one job interview, an employer told me he couldn’t hire me because I didn’t make eye contact.”

At Spectrum Designs, she said, the hiring process centers on accommodations and support.

“Some people go on an interview with their mom and they don’t care. They just see the person for who they are," Fisher said.

The workplace includes on-site support, including access to a licensed social worker, and emphasizes internal promotion.

Employees often begin as production assistants and move into other roles over time.

The push into New Jersey grew in part from public demand, driven by social media posts that drew millions of views.

“People are always asking because their son can’t get employed or they can’t get employed," she said.

The new site will operate in partnership with North Jersey Friendship House, a nonprofit that will provide job coaching and local support. The organization’s Hackensack facility will house the initial operation.

Bardsley said the expansion aims to build both business capacity and opportunity with six new roles will launching in May.

The company will continue to ship products nationwide, with the New Jersey location integrated into its broader production network.

For Bardsley, the model traces back to conversations with families uncertain about the future.

“One mother told me she just wanted to live one day longer than her child so she could be there every single day to protect him,” he said. “Once I heard that, I just said someone has to try and offer solutions.”