From image to word: the rendering of illustrations in art and architecture accessible editions

The presence of rich iconographic content is a characterizing element of art, architecture and design publications but it risks being lost in transition from print to accessible digital editions for users with visual disabilities. The contribution exposes the work carried out on a selection of volumes within the project I libri Sapienza parlano, chosen among the titles digitized by the university libraries for blind and partially sighted students, with the aim of evaluating how to effectively convey even the illustrative apparatus. Following brief notes on the project and general considerations on the relationship between text and image in historical-artistic publishing — also drawing on the analysis of Roma barocca by Paolo Portoghesi — the paper examines four case studies. It outlines the approach adopted and the criteria followed, both in the descriptions and in their final audio rendering.