An autistic employee’s video highlighting the Port Washington-based Spectrum Designs Foundation has gone viral, amassing over 19 million views on various social media platforms and sparking a dramatic increase in sales.
Spectrum social media manager Kelli Fisher said the video’s success is even more important because she is autistic.
“Being autistic myself, representing the voice of Spectrum Designs means everything to me,” Fisher said. “Through this video, I can show the world the power of neurodiversity from the perspective of someone who lives it daily.”
Spectrum Designs Foundation is a custom apparel and promotional products printing business known for employing adults on the autism spectrum. Sixty-five percent of the company’s employees are on the autism spectrum.
The video Fisher produced features employees sharing information about Spectrum Designs’ mission to employ autistic adults.
Fisher said she created a script when planning the video and asked her co-workers to learn the lines.
“I make sure I get to show as many personalities and people that I can,” Fisher said. “I know these videos are fun to make and I love to get everyone involved.”
On Instagram, the video has over 15 million views, 700,000 likes and 12,000 comments.
The video’s viral success has drawn the attention of celebrities like Benny Blanco, Meghan Trainor, SZA and Ty Pennington, further amplifying Spectrum Designs’ mission.
On TikTok, the video has over 2.4 million views; on Facebook, it has over 2.5 million.
“It went pretty viral on all platforms, which is crazy because you usually have something that does well, and it only does well on one platform,” Fisher said. “It’s awesome that this is reaching all different audiences because, for example, my mom doesn’t go on Instagram, but she has Facebook. Then TikTok is known to have a younger demographic, so it’s awesome it’s reaching all the demographics.”
In addition, all of Spectrum Design’s social media accounts have gained thousands of followers. In the past week, Spectrum Design has gained over 74,000 followers on Instagram, about 20,000 on Facebook, and 14,000 on TikTok.
“Social media is a crucial element in spreading our mission,” head of marketing Dylan Valic said, “Though our team operates out of Long Island, these platforms enable us to connect with a global audience, highlighting the incredible talents and stories of our employees.”
Verified content creators and other social media users are commenting to support Spectrum Designs’ mission and requesting apparel orders.
“We’ve had hundreds of requests for orders, and our retail store has done about $8,000 in sales in about nine days,” Fisher said. “So it’s not only helped our social media presence but it’s helped our business immensely.”
While social media can sometimes be a hateful place, Spectrum Designs’ video receives positive feedback from viewers.
“A lot of times, these videos go viral and have some positive comments and some super negative comments. I’m pleasantly surprised that 99% of the comments are super positive,” Fisher said. “There are even comments that say things like, ‘I usually come to Instagram to troll, but I didn’t hate today.’ It’s great that even the people who want to troll can’t troll because they just see so much positivity and empowerment in this one video.”
Like many autistic adults, Fisher faced challenges securing employment before joining Spectrum Designs due to the widespread misconceptions about autistic adults.
“I once lost a job opportunity within 15 minutes of the interview because I couldn’t maintain eye contact,” Fisher said. “But Spectrum Designs saw beyond that and gave me a chance.”
Eighty-five percent of adults on the autism spectrum are unemployed, a statistic Spectrum Designs is actively working to change through its inclusive hiring practices.
“At Spectrum Designs, neurodiverse individuals are not just part of our workforce—they’re leading our innovation and success,” co-founder and CEO Patrick Bardsley said. “Our messaging reflects our evolution as an organization committed to shattering expectations and breaking new ground.”
Spectrum Designs’ commitment to inclusion is evident in its workforce—over half of its 75 employees are on the autism spectrum. This inclusive approach has fostered a unique company culture and contributed to Spectrum’s record $5.5 million sales last year, securing high-profile clients such as Google, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation.
The video is viewable on Spectrum Design’s Instagram (@Spectrum_Designs), TikTok (@Spectrumenterprises) and Facebook (Spectrum Designs Foundation).
For more information, visit SpectrumDesigns.org.
