This "Equity by Design" brief highlights one promising means of diversifying the special education teacher workforce while advancing equity for communities of Color through alternative certification routes (ACRs) called Grow Your Own (GYO) teacher preparation programs. The authors begin by providing background on the teacher and student demographic gap that persists in the US educational system. They examine the special education teacher context that further exacerbates the issue. The authors then introduce GYOs as a promising contribution to diversifying the (special) education workforce along with some sample programs.