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In Memory of Matthew Rader The Matthew James Rader Special Education Scholarship

The Matthew James Rader Special Education Scholarship at the UO College of Education was created to provide support to future special education teachers and professionals who have chosen to devote their career to guiding and supporting students with developmental disabilities. This scholarship honors one of those special students, Matthew James Rader.

Matthew was born into a loving family and at the age of six months, developed a seizure disorder. The disorder caused Matthew to have multiple seizures (frequently more than twenty per day) for several years until they were largely controlled by medications. Due to the seizures, Matthew was never able to speak and required others to provide for his care. Thankfully, he was able to feed himself pureed foods, walk independently, and he understood many concepts and words.

Despite these many obstacles Matthew had a wonderful spirit and joy for life. He typically had a big smile on his face and an appreciation for the simple things in life. He was curious about the world around him and deeply loved all those who touched his life.

He had a profound connection with the outdoors and the natural world. He was captivated by the beauty in the trees, flowers, and rivers surrounding him and the night sky as he gazed out of his bedroom window at the brilliant moon and twinkling stars - it was all a very magical world to him.

Matthew especially loved long bike rides with his father, Don. He rode in various trailers since the time he was six years old when Don began biking him to grade school and back - weather permitting. This love of biking eventually led Matthew and his dad to log over 5,300 miles on a new electric bike and trailer combination in 2 ½ years!

"Matthew was such a shining star and pure spirit in every life he touched and all those who were fortunate enough to be around him, especially his many dedicated teachers, aides, and care providers."

- Don Rader

Matthew was born on February 20, 1987 and passed away in the early morning of February 21, 2018. He was 31 years old. Words cannot capture what a special child and young man Matthew was or measure the joy he brought to others.

"We hope that through this scholarship Matthew's pure spirit and unbounded goodness will live on through the care, love, and support future special education professionals provide to their special needs students."

- Don Rader

A Message to Scholarship Recipients

Carol L. Schaeffer, Retired Director of Student Services for David Douglas School District

We have all known children, students, and adults with unique needs and challenges, either through family, friends, work, community, or the classroom. I was fortunate to know such a person, first as a young child and then as he grew into a wonderful young adult. His name was Matthew Rader and he loved being around people and treasured being outside in nature.

You are looking at this website because Matthew’s loving father, family, and friends have set up a scholarship through the University of Oregon for special education professionals like you! Those of you who are currently working with students or are interested in working with students that need additional support to succeed in our educational system and society will make a difference in their lives throughout your careers.

The personal rewards can be great: being able to collaborate and work with families, other educators, and specialists to help each student move towards their potential; the excitement when a student you are working with succeeds; advocating for and providing opportunities through research and new insights are just a few.

The frustrations can be hard within our current educational setting and with barriers that impede our ability to address the individual needs of many of our students. Working with parents and other staff can be very rewarding, but at times difficult. Parents might have little faith in the system due to past experiences. Building relationships with parents and staff that are already feeling overwhelmed can be challenging. Funding can be insufficient to address the needs of students, teachers, and staff.

Strong special education teachers need to have passion and a desire to empower their students to thrive. Along the way, you will learn to multitask, collect data, and complete reports. You will also triumph in your students' successes. As you prepare to become a special educator, remember the positive impact you can have on students like Matthew and how meaningful those small victories will be for each individual student you encounter.

At left: Matthew with his two favorite teacher assistants Sally and Kathy.