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When Eric Carpenter-Grantham became the first person in Maryland to get a new state-issued identification card last fall with a special butterfly logo to identify his hidden disability, he encouraged others to follow him. That was Oct. 1.
As of last week, more than 22,000 Marylanders had done just that, asking the Motor Vehicle Administration for the logo that was made possible under what became known as 鈥淓ric鈥檚 ID Law.鈥�
鈥淚t shows it is really needed for people who cannot speak for themselves,鈥� Carpenter-Grantham, 21, said during a recent interview.
The Montgomery County resident has high-functioning autism, and the logo is designed to alert police and other emergency responders to the developmental or intellectual disabilities that are not immediately noticeable with Eric, and others like him. The decal can be placed not only on driver鈥檚 licenses but on MVA-issued identification cards and even moped operator permits.
The law also requires that the state Police Training and Standards Commission, in consultation with the State Police and other stakeholders, 鈥渋mplement training concerning interactions with individuals who have a nonapparent disability.鈥�
Kimberly Boddie of Prince George鈥檚 County, who has an hidden disability and the butterfly logo on her ID, said police training is sorely needed.
鈥淚f a police officer is talking to me and I turn my head, a police officer may think I鈥檓 being rude. I鈥檓 sensitive to light,鈥� Boddie, 49, said Friday. 鈥淭raining helps officers and just makes things better.鈥�
Boddie said she doesn鈥檛 drive due to a trifecta of ailments 鈥� lupus, Raynaud鈥檚 disease and Sjogren鈥檚 syndrome.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain and inflammation in various parts of the body. Sjogren鈥檚 is another autoimmune disease that creates dry eyes and lack of moisture in the mouth. The disease can trigger Raynaud鈥檚, a disorder that restricts blood flow that Boddie said can make her 鈥渉ands turn blue and makes me immobile. I鈥檓 an autoimmune warrior.鈥�
Boddie was officially diagnosed with all three in 2020, then noted jokingly, 鈥淏ut I never got COVID.鈥�
鈥楻emarkable young man鈥�
The Carpenter-Grantham family has not just been sitting at home and relishing its success since getting a state law passed.
They have traveled to other states to lobby for passage of legislation like Eric鈥檚 ID Law, in states such as聽听补苍诲听. Linda Carpenter-Grantham, Eric鈥檚 mom, said they are already planning to return to聽聽next year to work on a bill that did not win passage during this year鈥檚 legislative session.
The mother-and-son duo traveled across the border into Washington, D.C., and testified Thursday before the聽Committee on Transportation and the Environment on the 鈥淓ric鈥檚 ID Amendment Act of 2026.鈥� The bill would allow applicants for a license, permit, or identification card to have the applicant鈥檚 nonapparent disability noted on the credential.
鈥淎s a person with autism, I understand how it feels to be misunderstood sometimes. People with autism and other invisible disabilities communicate differently, need extra time to process information, or react differently in stressful situations,鈥� Eric said in his testimony to the committee.
鈥淯nfortunately, those differences can sometimes be failures to follow rules, or change of behavior, instead of being recognized as a disability. This is why this legislation matters,鈥� he said.
Several other Marylanders joined the family to testify in support of the D.C. measure, including Boddie, Laurel City Councilmember Kyla Clark and Prince George鈥檚 County Dels. Kym Taylor and Karen Toles, both Democrats. Taylor, who has an adult son with an invisible disability, was a co-sponsor of the Eric鈥檚 ID bill when the General Assembly passed it into law last year.
Taylor summarized how the Maryland law and the D.C. bill are both strictly voluntary.
鈥淭his bill does not require anyone to disclose a disability. It does not create a registry. It does not require medical documentation. It does not impose additional fees,鈥� she said. 鈥淚nstead, it empowers individuals and families with a voluntary tool that can facilitate understanding during critical interactions.鈥�
Meanwhile, the Carpenter-Granthams may return to Annapolis next year with a proposal for an Eric鈥檚 ID amendment to produce butterfly stickers and have them placed on vehicle windows to inform police officers someone with a non-apparent disability is inside.
罢丑别听聽has already promoted not only stickers, but also buttons with informational cards. Representatives from the office will hand them out during the Ocean City Air Show on the weekend of June 13. The Carpenter-Grantham family plan to be there, too, to talk about the law.
鈥淚 want to celebrate this for Eric because he鈥檚 a remarkable young man to have this vision,鈥� said Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli. 鈥淭his [will] help first responders 鈥� law enforcement, paramedics, firefighter personnel. Think about the benefits this will have for everyone. This is just huge for our residents and visitors who have those hidden disabilities.鈥�
Linda Carpenter-Grantham hopes other sheriffs will follow Crisafulli鈥檚 lead.
鈥淭he sheriff was just so excited to follow up with Eric鈥檚 ID Law. It鈥檚 good to see,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is something we need to get done.鈥�
