A Maryland family appeared on ABC’s “The View” this week to pitch a bill intended to protect people with disabilities that they hope lawmakers will pass next year.

Linda and Eric Carpenter-Grantham, of Montgomery County, want to create a voluntary ID program that would allow people with invisible disabilities to share that characteristic on personal identification cards. The optional logo on a driver’s license or a student ID would signal to law enforcement whether a person has autism, a mental health condition, Alzheimer’s disease or a hearing impairment.

The bill, nicknamed “Eric’s ID Law,” was introduced in the Maryland Senate last session, but did not receive a committee vote and missed a deadline in the House. Still, months ahead of the next session’s opening day, autism community advocates and nonprofit founders took their cause to the morning talk show table.

“We need your support,” Linda Carpenter-Grantham told “The View” audience. “Please help us because people are dying every day, especially people of color.” People with developmental disabilities are about seven times more likely to encounter law enforcement than neurotypical individuals, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The mother and son duo explained the idea originated after they, along with the rest of the world, saw the videotaped murder of George Floyd by a police officer. Carpenter-Grantham began to worry how her own son would react in an encounter with law enforcement and how they would react to him.

“I realized that I have an African American son with an invisible disability,” she said.

She initially decided to have a frank conversation with Eric and told him how to keep himself safe in a confrontation with police; he should remain calm, put his hands up and tell them he has autism. But this only upset Eric and made him worry about his autistic friends’ safety, she explained to the co-hosts.

Eric, an avid politics watcher, asked his mom to take him to Congress so he could ask them to pass a law that would teach police how to interact and communicate with people with hidden disabilities. She said the pair have since met with federal, state and local officials and top law enforcement officers who have all lent their guidance and supported their efforts. And they’ve launched an effort that has quickly become a media magnet.

Ahead of the session, the family has promoted and networked to spread the word about their bill, and signed a contract with TV producer Carlos King for a documentary about the bill proposal.

The power family promoted the ID bill in April, also Autism Acceptance Month, on Fox’s “Sherri” show, hosted by actor and former “View” co-host Sherri Shepherd.

Then, through some dogged persistence, the Carpenter-Grantham fam landed a spot on “The View.” She found a way to meet “View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg after the actor’s May book signing in Washington, D.C., and her 30-second pitch caught the star’s attention.

Before the segment taped Wednesday, Carpenter-Grantham said she hugged and thanked Goldberg.

“I said, ‘God used you to be a blessing in this moment so that other people like Eric’s lives can be saved,’” she recalled. Having Goldberg recognize his bill was “the best moment of his life,” Eric said.

Last session, the Judicial Proceedings Committee heard from many in favor of the legislation, including law enforcement. The Arc Maryland, which advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supported the bill in written testimony but also raised concerns, saying people should easily be able to change the voluntary designation and it should not subject them to additional medical certifications to operate a motor vehicle.

The group also advised the state to require police training.

During the show, Linda Carpenter-Grantham thanked three Democratic lawmakers: Sen. Will C. Smith Jr., who she said helped write the bill, and Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, both of Montgomery County, and Del. Kym Taylor, who represents Prince George’s County. Taylor was seated in the front row at the live taping.

Wilkins said she and Taylor will lead efforts to pass the bill in the House of Delegates. The bill is “coming from parents and families in our community” and is of “extreme importance” to keep people with invisible disabilities safe when interacting with law enforcement.

“It’s critical that we take it up and that we get it passed,” she said.

Meanwhile, Carpenter-Grantham said she plans to keep sharing her son’s idea across the state and beyond.

“Every time I look at my son and I realize how important this is to him and for him and for others like him, I just feel like I have to keep going.”