Teaching students with disabilities should be both challenging and joyful. This session explores how to design instruction that affirms students’ identities, engages their intellect, and cultivates deep learning, without sacrificing creativity or connection. Grounded in Gholdy Muhammad’s Five Pursuits (Identity, Skill, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy), participants will learn how to shift lessons from compliance driven to culturally responsive. Through practical examples and hands-on redesign activities, you’ll walk away with tools to create learning experiences that are rigorous, relevant, and rooted in joy.