Students and educators who are neurodivergent often encounter higher education shaped by rigid norms and deficit perspectives. This session centers neurodivergent joy as a pedagogical goal and form of resistance. Drawing on the presenter’s lived experience as a neurodivergent faculty member leading an early education certificate taught in Portuguese, this session explores how language access and culturally sustaining practices foster belonging, confidence, and persistence. Through narrative reflection, applied examples, and interactive dialogue, participants examine predictable course design, multimodal engagement, and trauma-sensitive approaches that support regulation and connection. Attendees gain strategies and tools to cultivate inclusive environments in higher education settings.