“Ben’s Bill”: Ben Kredich Made A Difference By Advocating For Disabled Student Housing

Ben Kredich, the 24-year-old son of Tennessee head coach Matt Kredich, tragically died on Monday after he was struck by an impaired driver.

Despite being taken at such a young age, Kredich left behind a legacy in the Knoxville community, having been an advocate for people with disabilities following the conclusion of his swimming career in 2017.

Kredich was enrolled at the University of Tennessee in the FUTURE Program, which is designed for students with developmental disabilities, giving them the opportunity to continue their education after high school.

However, the program didn’t provide its students with access to on-campus housing, which was something Kredich and his mother, Kim, took issue with.

A bill was created, known as “Ben’s Bill” or SB 0516, and Ben and Kim took it to the State Senate.

The bill prohibits post-secondary programs with the Comprehensive Transition and Post-Secondary Program designation from the U.S. Department of Education and offer it to assist students with intellectual disabilities from approving or denying a student residential housing on the campus or in affiliation with the institution solely because the student’s receipt of a Tennessee STEP UP scholarship (what students in the FUTURE program have).

Kredich testified on the Senate floor in March of 2019 while he was in his second year of university, and the bill passed through the Senate by a vote of 26-4.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Becky Duncan Massey, who said: “We all have differing abilities, and we need to recognize that and let each person thrive with the abilities that they have.”

Heartbroken to learn of the passing of my friend Ben Kredich. Ben was a trailblazer for inclusion, playing an important role in advancing residence hall privileges for @utk_future program participants. My prayers for Ben’s family as they navigate through this tragic loss.

— UT System President Randy Boyd (@UT_President) August 22, 2023

Kredich graduated from the FUTURE program in 2021.

Emma Burgin, coordinator for the program, said he played a primary role in the creation of the independent living program.

“Because of Ben and his family and the efforts that they put in, to creating that opportunity we now can help so many students live on their own for their first time,” Burgin said, according to Tennessee outlet WATE 6 On Your Side.

“I think when Ben was living on his own, we had seven people in the independent living program. We have 19 today.”

Amber Carmody, who was paired up with Ben as a mentor in the FUTURE program, also spoke on the impact he made for students.

“Being able to again and again make more accessible pathways for other students,” she said. “When other students have the ability to be those path pavers, he cheered them on the whole time and supported them throughout the time. He had that ‘whatever I can do’ attitude.”

We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Ben Kredich, one of our @utk_future graduates. Ben embodied the Volunteer spirit and helped make Rocky Top a more inclusive place for his peers. Our thoughts and our hearts are with his family during this unimaginable time. 🧡 pic.twitter.com/6UwMSFjE0M

— UTK CEHHS (@UTKCEHHS) August 22, 2023

On Monday, Ben was walking to meet Matt for their weekly dinner at Sunspot when the crash occurred.

The route he was walking on, down the Kingston Pike, previously had a bus route that Ben would take to school. The route was discontinued due to work shortage last year, and Ben advocated with city officials for the route to continue, saying that he didn’t feel safe walking that stretch of Kingston Pike.

“Everybody seems to know Ben, from the neighborhood to the community, UT and beyond, it feels like home and he always knew he belonged here because he did,” Kim said.

“There were generations of swimmers at UT that knew Ben as my son, and in the early days, as one swimmer said, ‘It’s not a party until Ben Kredich shows up naked.’ That’s when he was about 5, 6, 7, years old,” Matt said.

“Ben’s later years are defined by a phrase that I think is wonderful, which Kim uses a lot, which is the dignity of risk,” he said.

“Every human being should be afforded the dignity of risk, and there’s a risk to a lot of things that he did, but it’s the same with us as well, and that risk paid off for so many people.”