'All around a good guy:' Developmental disability doesn't slow down Jehred Bennett

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter
·6 min read

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ When Jehred Bennett was born nine weeks premature in 2003, he weighed just 2 pounds 7 ounces.

In a fragile condition, he spent the first seven months of his life in and out of various hospitals in northeast Ohio. Even after he was able to go home, he had a tracheotomy and was on a ventilator and a feeding tube for several years. "He was almost 3 years old when they finally took his trach out and we got to hear his voice," said his mother, Christy.

Jehred Bennett, 20, cleans crash bars and door handles as part of his janitorial duties at the New Philadelphia Fire Department fire station, where he works part time.
Jehred Bennett, 20, cleans crash bars and door handles as part of his janitorial duties at the New Philadelphia Fire Department fire station, where he works part time.

"After that, he just started to thrive and did very well. There was a point where they wondered if he would ever walk, talk, being able to live any kind of life at all."

Now at age 20, Jehred Bennett is an outgoing, friendly, personable young man. Though he is developmentally disabled and has autism, that hasn't slowed him down. He works three days a week performing janitor duties at the New Philadelphia Fire Department. He participates in all of the activities offered by his service provider, Advocates for Success in New Philadelphia, including line dancing and drumming. He teaches two classes there, one on sports and the other on Marvel Comics superheroes. And he volunteers as a greeter every August at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton during Enshrinement Week.

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"I just love to have fun. I love to be respectful, and loved to be respected, too," he said.

Spending time at four hospitals

Jehred was born at Union Hospital in Dover. The pediatric physician on call that night had to resuscitate him. He was transferred to Aultman Hospital in Canton, where he spent four months. He got to go home for one day, but then he stopped breathing. So, his family took him back to Aultman and he was transferred to Cleveland Metro Health, where he underwent several surgeries. Finally, he was sent to Akron Children's Hospital, where his mother was taught how to care for him at home.

Jehred Bennett, 20, points to a fellow attendees of Advocates For Success, where he often leads a group with mutual interest in all things related to the Marvel multiverse.
Jehred Bennett, 20, points to a fellow attendees of Advocates For Success, where he often leads a group with mutual interest in all things related to the Marvel multiverse.

"We had lots of occupational, speech, physical therapy, all of those things," Christy said. "Then he just started to grow. I think one of the biggest factors in Jehred's life was his brothers. He has two older brothers (Jacob and Joshua). They were 9 and 10 when Jehred was born. He's always wanted to be like his brothers. They were big into sports. Jehred was always their biggest fan. Everything he could do to be like them he did. I think that was his drive. When Jehred's trach came out, his first word was brother."

Learning how to eat

Once the tracheotomy came out at age 3, his family had to teach him how to eat and drink. Jehred learned by watching his mother and brothers chew their food. He started out with pureed foods and moved on soft solid foods by the time he went to kindergarten.

He attended elementary school in Dover, where the family lives, attended middle school at Summit Academy in Canton and graduated from Dover High School and Buckeye Career Center in 2022.

That same year, he started working at the New Philadelphia Fire Department. His janitorial duties include taking care of the trash, cleaning countertops, doorknobs and drinking fountains and the stairs. "It's a lot of fun," he said. For one birthday, he got to ride on a firetruck.

"Jehred comes here every day with a positive attitude and a smile on his face. He is laser-focused on what his rules and responsibilities are here. He is a joy to work with," said Assistant Fire Chief Matt Tharp.

A huge football fan

One of the classes he teaches at Advocates for Success reflects his interest in football. He is a huge fan of the Cleveland Browns. The family watches them on TV every week, and he attends one home game a year.

"It's a lot of fun. It's an emotional rollercoaster at times ‒ happy, mad ‒ but at the end of the day, it's a lot of fun to watch the Browns," he said.

Jehred Bennett, 20, watches along with a power point presentation he created for fellow attendees of Advocates For Success, where he often leads a group with mutual interest.
Jehred Bennett, 20, watches along with a power point presentation he created for fellow attendees of Advocates For Success, where he often leads a group with mutual interest.

He also enjoys volunteering at the Football Hall of Fame. He works with Kim Domer, an administrative assistant at Advocates for Success, greeting the new inductees and their families when they arrive.

"He always welcomes them and always wants to say, welcome home, just to celebrate this is their forever home for the players," Domer said. "Everybody just enjoys seeing Jehred. He's always happy, always positive. His knowledge of football and the players, he surprises me. I just get in awe sometimes to hear what he can share with everybody. He thoroughly loves it."

Diamond Award winner

This year, Jehred is the recipient of the Diamond Award, presented annually by the Tuscarawas County Board for Developmental Disabilities. This award recognizes a person with developmental disabilities residing in Tuscarawas County for their fearless bravery and efforts to advocate for themselves and on behalf of others to achieve their dreams and encourage others to do the same.

Jehred said he is excited to receive the Diamond Award. "It's a huge privilege."

A picture of Jehred Bennett, 20, in a karate outfit at center, is seen among fellow attendees of Advocates For Success in New Philadelphia.
A picture of Jehred Bennett, 20, in a karate outfit at center, is seen among fellow attendees of Advocates For Success in New Philadelphia.

"Jehred has always been taught that just because you have a disability, it doesn't mean that you use that as an excuse," said Christy, who is the employment manager at Advocates for Success. "He's never been allowed to do that. There were times where he would say, 'I have autism, so I can't do that.' I would sit him down and talk to him and let him know, you might have to try a little bit harder than somebody else, but you are perfectly capable of doing it."

Jehred makes a point of encouraging his friends and others with disabilities to get a job. "I want people with disabilities like me to go out into the community and get a job and have fun. That's what I want people to do with disabilities," he said.

'All around a good guy'

"He is just all around a good guy," said his mother. "He does whatever he can to help his friends. If there's somebody sitting by themselves, Jehred is the first one to go say, 'hey, do you want to come sit with us?' Or he'll just go sit with that person. He is always respectful. He's just a good guy. He's a rule follower.

"I can't imagine not having Jehred. He doesn't have the ability to be shy or embarrassed about much. He just goes into any situation with confidence. He's always very proud of his work."

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Developmental disability doesn't slow down Jehred Bennett