People with disabilities that may not be apparent, such as autism, will soon be able to get a special designation on their Maryland driver's licenses or state IDs to make it safer for them to interact with police and emergency workers.
The Maryland General Assembly passed Eric's ID Law, championed by a Silver Spring man, Eric Carpenter-Grantham, who has autism. He designed a prototype of a Maryland driver's license with a colorful butterfly that would alert authorities that he has a non-apparent disability.
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WATCH HERE“I was scared for my friends and I if they ever get hurt by the police and they would not know they have a hidden disability,” he said. “And this is when I brought the idea, Eric’s ID Law. “And now it’s a reality to become law in the state of Maryland.”
Carpenter-Grantham and his mom, Linda Carpenter-Grantham, came up with the idea after the murder of George Floyd. She became concerned what could happen if her son had an interaction with police.
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SIGN UP “I had conversation with him as far as staying safe should he ever be stopped by law enforcement and they not know that he’s highly functioning autistic,” Linda Carpenter-Grantham said. “It could be super dangerous and scary.”
Under the law, those with developmental and intellectual disabilities could get the hidden disability logo on their license or state ID.
Carpenter-Grantham hopes his butterfly will be the design for the logo, but that's yet to be decided.
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“The butterfly represents hope, peace, freedom and change, and inside the wings … it’s colors are for all disabilities,” he said.
He is proud that almost 50 delegates and 13 senators cosponsored the bill, including Del. Kym Taylor, D-Prince George’s County.
“The attraction of Linda and Eric — their energy, their compassion behind the idea of this bill —and I have a son that’s on spectrum, so, personally, this type of legislation would help my 26-year-old son, she said.
Twenty-one states have similar laws on the books. The Carpenter-Granthams hope to take to theirs to a national level. They met with U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., to discuss the possibility of federal legislation.
“I think it makes sense,” Ivey said. “It could be a win-win. We’ll have to see if there’s a good federal angle for doing it. If there is I’d love to support it.”
Carpenter-Grantham is a college student who hopes to one day be a pastor while still advocating for people with disabilities.
“My mom always told me this quote: ‘I was created to stand out, not to fit in,” he said. “And so, to others who don’t feel they fit in, you’re created to stand out.”
The license designation would only be done on a volunteer basis. People with disabilities would not be required to have the logo on their licenses.
The law awaits the governor's signature. Once signed, it would go into effect in October.
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