NAVIGATION
Jedidah Kangethe<br/>2022 Exceptional Service Award Recipient



Jedidah Kangethe
2022 Exceptional Service Award Recipient

Coordinator of School Services
May Center School for Brain Injury and Neurobehavioral Disorders
Norwood, Mass.


 

Jedidah is quite literally a ray of sunshine who brings a copious amount of skill, dedication, exceptional kindness, and patience to the Norwood team. She is quick to aid anyone, whether it be another team member, or an individual served. She can often be found in a classroom helping to cover any shortages due to staffing needs or simply because she genuinely cares about ensuring our students have a happy and productive day.

I have seen Jedidah in the hallways and classrooms spending time with our students and engaging in activities that are preferred by the individual, encourage good behavior, and are educational. This speaks volumes, as she remembers the support plans and interests of each individual student.

She is patient and understanding; this can be observed when she is helping to deescalate individuals during behavioral incidents. She is calm, collected, and quick to take charge of the situation. While this ensures the safety of the student, it also helps ensure the safety of her fellow team members.

Jedidah exemplifies what it means to be an advocate for the individuals we serve. It is not uncommon in the world to come across people who speak in a condescending or demeaning tone towards the individuals we serve – this is a mixture of both a conscious and unconscious bias. I can wholeheartedly say that Jedidah advocates for the rights of our students.

A quote that I only recently discovered but has made an impact in my life is: “It’ not a disability, it’s a different ability” When I think of someone who embodies this in a way that speaks to how they live, work, and treat others (especially in the field in which we work), I think of Jedidah.

Nominated by Brenna Andrade, Human Resources Coordinator, May Center School for Brain Injury and Neurobehavioral Disorders, Norwood, Mass.

Quote from her community:

“Jedidah is one of the most optimistic people I know. She always looks on the bright side even during the craziest of times, all while dealing with staffing challenges. I admire her compassion when working with staff and students.” – Colleen Bennet, Residential Scheduler  

See all of the pictures from the event on our Flickr album!


 
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