Service-Learning: Empowering Students with Special Needs Traditionally students with special needs have been viewed as recipients and beneficiaries of service-learning projects. This article demonstrates that service-learning pedagogy can be used to transform the traditional “deficit” model into a “reciprocal empowerment” model. The authors employed a qualitative and quantitative design. Using the qualitative method, “Portraiture”, each project was analyzed and categorized under the “deficit,” “empowerment,” and “reciprocal empowerment” categories. The results showed a significant decrease in the percentage of projects under the “deficit” model, whereas the “reciprocal empowerment” model perspective became more prominent over the four years of the study. The authors conclude that by re-conceptualizing and deliberately structuring the service-learning environment educators can provide opportunities for all students to become contributors, problem solvers, and partners in improving communities. |