Proposed bill would allow Marylanders to disclose nonapparent disabilities on their IDs
BALTIMORE -- A proposed bill in Maryland would allow residents to disclose "nonapparent disabilities" on their driver's licenses or identification cards.
Eric's ID Law, or HB707, would require the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) to add a certain symbol to licenses, ID cards or moped permits indicating that the applicant has a nonapparent disability.
The idea was proposed by a Maryland family during an appearance on ABC's "The View," The Baltimore Banner reported.
The Carpenter-Grantham family had the idea after the 2020 murder of George Floyd which sparked protests across the nation.
"I realized that I have an African American son with an invisible disability," mother Linda Carpenter-Grantham said during the TV appearance.
The bill was introduced in the state Senate during the 2024 legislative session but missed a deadline in the House.
The proposed bill would require the MVA to establish public outreach programs to educate the public about the new symbols or notations. The MVA would work with disability advocates to design the symbols.
The MVA would be prohibited from sharing information about an applicant's disabilities.
The bill would also prevent the MVA from asking an applicant to provide proof of their disability or reject an application because the listed disability does not match other documents associated with the applicant.
Under the bill, the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission and Department of State Police would have to immediately implement training for police interactions with those who have nonapparent disabilities noted on their IDs.
The bill will be the subject of a hearing on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.
What is a nonapparent disability?
According to the proposed bill, a nonapparent disability is a health condition that is not immediately obvious or visible, this could include developmental or intellectual disabilities.
According to a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), common nonapparent disabilities are anxiety and depression, Alzheimer's, deafness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder/attention deficit disorder (ADHD/ADD), and diabetes among others.
People with developmental disabilities are about seven times more likely to encounter law enforcement than neurotypical individuals, according to a 2001 study by the Department of Justice.
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