Definition: DARKROOM

Definition: DARKROOM

An American Sign Language definition is provided by Jan DeLap.

DARKROOM: An enclosed space with minimal light exposure for image processing.

Gallaudet Video Services

2019

This Item has been made available for educational and research purposes by the Drs. John S. and Betty J. Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center at Gallaudet University. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You may need to obtain permission for your intended use if your use is otherwise not permitted by the copyright and applicable related rights legislation. For specific information about the copyright and reproduction rights for this Item, please contact the Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center: https://www.gallaudet.edu/drs-john-s-and-betty-j-schuchman-deaf-documentary-center

American Sign Language

The video begins with a title slide featuring a line drawing of a figure depicting the handshapes and movement for the vocabulary term, dark room. It begins with the sign for DARK, which uses both hands, flattened with palms facing the signer, raised at either side of the face. Both hands move simultaneously toward the center, stopping as they nearly cross at the signer’s chin. Followed by handshapes spelling R-O-O-M. Next in a video recording, Jan DeLap, a white older woman, defines the term in American Sign Language. She stands in front of a blue screen in a film studio.

I’m going to talk about the “Dark Room”. At the time, The Washington Post was transitioning more and more towards cold type. Meaning we printed on film, so we had a dark room. The dark room had a revolving door. You would walk in and spin the walls around you. As you did, it opened into a room that was so dark, illuminated with red lights. For us deaf workers, it was hard work to sign to each other there!
I was supposed to train a new guy, who was blind in one eye, on how to set up the film.
On the first night that he came in, his wife was working also, and she found out that he was in the dark room with me. She said, “Nope! Out, out!” “My husband is not getting in the dark room with some woman! Out!” So, he ended up never getting that training after all.

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