Like most 15-year-old girls, Hannah Greenberg has a passion for art and fashion.
But unlike most of her peers, Greenberg has already designed her own T-shirt line – despite being diagnosed with autism.
With the help of her mother, Amy, the president of the Manhasset-based North Shore Autism Circle, Hannah created the A-Z T-shirt line through Spectrum Designs in Port Washington.
The shirts, which feature a curly-haired girl which Amy Greenberg said her daughter created in her own likeness, will be on sale June 1 at Lester’s of Greenvale as part of Roslyn Middle School’s Saturday shopping fundraiser.
“Hannah’s going to have her own table to sell her merchandise, and all the proceeds are going toward Spectrum Designs,” Amy Greenberg said.
Spectrum Designs is unique in that it only employs teenagers and adults with autism, and North Shore Autism Circle regularly partners with the store for its purchasing needs as well as various fundraising events.
“It’s really an amazing thing to see these kids with autism working and having jobs,” Amy Greenberg said. “It really is amazing.”
Each of the shirts on Hannah’s line was designed with a letter of the alphabet in mind, using words or phrases typical of a teenager’s vocabulary.
The shirts are also available for purchase on Spectrum Designs’ Web site for $25.
North Shore Autism Circle, which raises funds for autism awareness, has donated more than $1 million toward children with autism, Greenberg said. The group recently also helped Spectrum Designs purchase new machinery that will enable its workers to produce mass quantities of its shirts at its Port Washington location, rather than print them off-site, she said
With the help of Greenberg’s friend, photographer Michael Simon, the shirts have been sent to celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Tori Spelling and Denise Richards, who Simon has photographed wearing the “D for Diva” shirt, in hopes that they will help spread the word about the clothing and cause.
“We’re hoping these shirts are seen so that children with autism don’t give up the hope that they do have a purpose and can develop life skills and eventually live independently,” Greenberg said.
