One in 36 children lives with autism spectrum disorder in the United States, including Linda Carpenter-Grantham’s now-adult son Eric. Born with autism and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), Eric reportedly knew from a young age that “something was different about him” and experienced a lot of bullying as a result.
“When Eric was younger, I noticed there were some things different [about him], and he felt different,” Carpenter-Grantham said in a recent appearance on “The View.” “One of the ways that he felt different was he wasn’t always welcomed to the friend circle with other kids. They didn’t want to play with him because he was different, because he spoke [differently], because he processed information a little different from them.”
Having sensory issues that cause hypersensitivity and heightened sense of hearing, taste, touch and smell, Eric’s tendencies differed from those of non-autistic kids, leading to consistent rejection from his peers in school. While his experiences at school and on the playground hit at his self-esteem, Carpenter-Grantham found that fashion helped her son feel more confident.
“I searched for ways to make him feel confident and special. I noticed when I would dress him up, he would quickly develop high self-esteem,” she said, per the Blue Runway for Autism website. “When he gets dressed up, he would always ask me, ‘Mommy do I look Hollywood?’ My reply is always, ‘Eric — you look Hollywood!’”
When asked how fashion has enhanced his self-confidence, Eric told “The View” co-hosts: “ By wearing the clothes, I felt cool … wearing it, and I felt so proud of myself. That’s when [I said] ‘I’m not scared to show who I am no more. I’m proud to have autism.’”
After seeing the way a nice outfit and cologne made her son feel, Carpenter-Grantham began to wonder what fashion could do to empower other children and individuals with autism and invisible disabilities. She was ultimately inspired to launch Blue Runway for Autism, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging positive self-image through fashion. The organization partnered with Macy’s and Maryland venue Lodge 89 to host fashion shows; just as the color blue symbolizes acceptance within the autism community, the events are designed to help those with autism and invisible disabilities accept themselves for who they are.
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“My friends and people with hidden disabilities in the show [feel] amazing when they go out there on that floor, and I just feel joy [watching them],” said Eric of the fashion shows. “Hopefully, in the future, we can take Blue Runway around the world so we can have other kids and people be in the show with autism and hidden disabilities and they can feel like they are welcomed.”
However, Eric and his mom’s activism for people with hidden disabilities expands far beyond the runway. After George Floyd was murdered by law enforcement in 2020, Carpenter-Grantham became hyper-aware of the potential dangers of having a Black son with an invisible disability in America. While having a discussion about what to do in a situation with the police, the mother recalled her son getting emotional.
“He started to cry,” Carpenter-Grantham said, recounting the moment. “He said, ‘I can [follow instructions], but the police will shoot my friends that have autism because they’re different. They’re not going to do what they say, they’re going to run and be scared.”
Realizing that something needed to be done, Eric urged his mom to take him to Congress to speak with Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House, about ways to train the police to handle people with hidden disabilities. Passionate about this issue, Eric eventually created Eric’s ID law.
“Eric’s ID law is a voluntary selection, [that would] put logos onto IDs like the ’A’ for autism,” said Eric, explaining how the bill would allow people to disclose their disabilities on their ID, whether it be a driver’s license, state ID, school ID, etc.
The mother-son duo has been working to get the bill passed locally with the support of State Delegates Jheanelle Wilkins and Kym Taylor (D-Md.) and Senator William C. Smith Jr. (D-Md.) Though the bill did not pass in the most recent session, Carpenter-Grantham hopes to see it pass in the next session.
“My goal is to empower those with autism/special needs to believe and embrace their own unique abilities to be something simply amazingly beautiful,” she said. “I have been asked ‘Is your son disabled?’ I chose to see him as differently able. I chose to see his autism as a beautiful part of him.”
