DEI Today: The Benefits Of True Inclusion And All Kinds Of Minds
By: Patrick Bardsley, Co-founder and CEO of Spectrum Designs Foundation
One great advancement that came out of 2020 was a heightened focus on how organizations (and their followers) are actively viewing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). According to the World Health Organization, over people are currently living with a disability. Yet this population is severely underrepresented in today’s current DEI efforts. We can change this by shattering some of the myths and focusing on the benefits.
My business enterprise is primarily comprised of employees on the autism spectrum and people with other developmental disabilities. The advantages of hiring and retaining a neurodiverse workforce are significant and far-reaching. Hiring neurodiverse employees increases diversity, stimulates the economy, fills skills gaps to an underserved group of workers, solves big problems and so much more.
Read on Forbes.
Patrick Bardsley, Co-founder and CEO of Spectrum Designs Foundation
As CEO, Patrick is in charge of the day-to-day running of Spectrum Designs, Spectrum Bakes and Spectrum Suds. He holds a Masters in Special Education, with a concentration in Behavior Analysis through Long Island University. A natural leader and born innovator, he spends most of his time securing future growth and relationships for the betterment and expansion of all of our social enterprises. Under Patrick’s leadership Spectrum’s businesses have generated annual revenues of over $5m and created more than 50 jobs in a neurodiverse workforce.
Patrick brings an enormous skill-set that spans many disciplines, as well as over 13 years of experience working with people adults on the Autism Spectrum. Outside of his work at Spectrum Designs, New York State Industries for the Disabled and a member of the invite-only Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC).
In 2019 Patrick graduated from the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business program and joined the Autism @ Work Employer Round table joining an international collection of cross industry employers and innovative leaders who run autism-focused hiring initiatives.
