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Parents and advocates urge DC to adopt 'Eric’s ID' marking to signal hidden disabilities
Summary
A parent and her son — author of Maryland’s 'Eric’s ID' — asked the State Board to support DC legislation that would allow residents to add a butterfly symbol to IDs to signal hidden disabilities; advocates said the policy improves communication and safety during stressful encounters.
Linda Carpenter Grantham and her son Eric told the State Board March 18 about their campaign to let residents voluntarily add a small butterfly symbol to identification cards to indicate a hidden disability — a change they said improves communication and safety during interactions with first responders or law enforcement.
The family described how Maryland enacted "Eric’s ID" into law in 2025 and implemented the symbol on state IDs beginning Oct. 1. In Maryland, the family said, many residents chose to add the symbol and national interest followed; the Granthams said similar legislation was introduced in the District on March 2 and is under review by the DC Council, with Councilmembers Zachary Parker and Lewis George among sponsors.
Linda Carpenter Grantham told the board the idea grew from fear for her son’s safety after high-profile policing incidents and that a visible symbol helps officers and first responders recognize a need for different communication or de-escalation. Eric Grantham, who has high-functioning autism and helped draft the proposal, said the symbol aims to make 'the invisible visible' and to reduce misunderstandings.
Board members expressed support and asked whether the symbol could be extended to student IDs and other cards so minors without driver’s licenses could also benefit; the witnesses said that broader use is part of their advocacy.
What’s next: family advocates asked the board to publicly back the DC bill and to work with Council sponsors to remove barriers to quick adoption. The Granthams requested the board’s help in promoting the measure and recommended expanding the option to all forms of ID and institutional cards.
A note on numbers: witnesses described widespread early adoption in Maryland but did not provide an independently verifiable count in the hearing record; the board asked staff to consider potential next steps.
