Page 56 - 914INC - July/August 2022

Hiring on the Spectrum
Some Westchester businesses are making an effort to hire neurodiverse staff — and learning that success often follows. By Kevin Zawacki
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The most recent
class of trainees- turned-employees at Pleasantville-based Spectrum Designs. As
a nonprofit, all of the organization’s proceeds support the expansion and advancement of hiring and retaining a neurodiverse workforce.
The past few years have been busy for Petra Pasquina. In addition to navigating the pandemic, the Mamaroneck-based working mom also quit her day job in sales and marketing to launch her own business, Chewma, a snack company spe- cializing in gluten-free protein bites.
Chewma’s genesis was simple: the need for a healthy, filling, and gluten-free snack for Pasquina’s hectic lifestyle.
“I decided there had to be a better way to snack,” Pasquina recalls. She began experimenting in her home kitchen and developed savory recipes, like Italian cheese and herb, and chipotle cheddar. Her friends were quickly hooked, and so a side hustle during the pandemic quickly became her main hustle.
Starting your own business is never easy — espe- cially in the notoriously difficult food industry amid a global pandemic. But Chewma has built up a devoted following and is expanding to shops across the region. Meanwhile, Pasquina has found support in an unex- pected place: her neurodivergent baking staff.
“This was a great way to create jobs and opportu- nity in the community — but also to get some help in the kitchen,” Pasquina says of her decision to hire two bakers on the autism spectrum.
“I work with two neurodiverse bakers, and they’re amazing,” Pasquina explains. “We call ourselves the Chew Crew. We have a good time in the kitchen, and we’ve been able to really improve the baking process. We’ve got this down to a science.”
Seeking a job — whether in a bakery, office, or anywhere else — is never easy. There’s the scouring of career boards, the meticulous crafting of cover let- ters, and pre-interview anxiety. Yet, the process is that much more challenging for neurodivergent job seek- ers, especially for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Indeed, the nonprofit Autism Speaks says that about half of 25-year-olds with autism have never been employed and estimates that as much as 85% of the autistic adult population may be either un- employed or underemployed.
Many of these figures can be fueled by myths and misconceptions about neurodivergent employees. “They range from not as productive and harder to em- ploy to not social or poor in quality control,” says Patrick Bardsley, CEO and cofounder of Spectrum Designs in Pleasantville and the parent of an adult with autism. “These things couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Fortunately, there is a growing number of busi- ness owners in Westchester — like Pasquina and
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SPECTRUM DESIGNS
SPECTRUM