Community Mourns Miami-Dade College Sign Language Professor Killed in Fiery Crash – NBC 6 South Florida

The victim of a fiery weekend crash in Miami has been identified by loved ones as a leader in the deaf and gay community.

Jose Granda spent more than 30 years teaching American Sign Language at Miami-Dade College and was a frequent presenter at sign language interpreter conferences at the local, state and national level, the college said in a statement Wednesday.

“Prof. Granda also held positions in many nonprofit organizations, assisting clients with program coordination for ASL, as well as coordinating special services with government and community agencies in this regard. He was beloved by students, and peers lauded him for his ‘expressive demeanor, which displayed the full impact of American Sign Language’ and for serving as a mentor to many sign language interpreters in the field,” the statement read. “His lasting impact on his students and the MDC community will be felt for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.”

Granda was 69 years old, according to online posts from loved ones.

The two-vehicle crash happened just after midnight Sunday in the 1700 block of Southwest 22nd Avenue and involved a tow truck.

Granda’s car crashed into a power pole and caught fire according to witness. He was pronounced dead on scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

Since news of his death broke, there has been an outpouring of support from across the country.

Messages of condolences have come from the National Hispanic Latino Association of the Deaf to the Deaf Queer Resource Center in California. And posts said he will be remembered as a proud deaf, gay, Cuban.

A celebration of Granda’s life is being planned for noon on Jan. 14th at the Broward Association of the Deaf.