ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A traffic stop can be overwhelming for someone with autism, where sensory overload could result in a miscommunication or with police.

In Georgia, Eric’s Law hopes to change that.

The law went into effect in Maryland this past October and so far, more than 10,000 people have taken part. The law gives people an option to print a butterfly on their license or ID to communicate they have a hidden disability.

“If I did get pulled by police, I probably would be scared. Would probably have an anxiety moment. I probably would cry,” said 21-year-old Eric Carpenter-Grantham, who helped create the law.

Carpenter-Grantham is on the autism spectrum and said his mom taught him early on how to best respond if questioned by law enforcement.

“She told me put my hands up, call out her number and yell out, ‘I have autism.’ And I told my mom, I could do that but I’m concerned for others that look like me with disabilities would not know what to do,” said Carpenter-Grantham.

In 2023, Carpenter-Grantham and his mom Linda, created Eric’s Law- it’s a voluntary butterfly symbol placed on the license or id of a person with a hidden disability like autism or other neurodivergent conditions.

“Some of them have ADHD. They not going to keep still. They’re going to continue to walk back and forth. Some of them have sensory (things). They’re going to be afraid if it’s bright lights with sirens. If it’s noisy, they’re going to be scared. They’re going to run,” said Linda.

Eric’s Law passed into law in their home state of Maryland last year. Drafts of the bill have also been submitted in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Illinois.

On Wednesday, supporters of the bill in Georgia spoke out at the State Capitol.

Linda said there’s a training component of the law as well, for law enforcement to have better tools to communicate with those with hidden disabilities.

“When they interact with this person they should proceed with caution and compassion and be slow to draw that gun,” said Linda.

Eric said he picked the butterfly as their symbol to communicate even more.

“The butterfly represents hope, peace, freedom and change,” he said.

Eric’s Law has been introduced in both the Georgia House and Senate. It would need to be voted on in both chambers to move forward before the legislative session ends early April.

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