Menna Kasem

(she/her)

BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Research Overview

My research focuses on inclusive and participatory design in the built environment, with particular emphasis on co-designing with people with learning (intellectual) disabilities. I am interested in how architectural research and practice can move beyond compliance-led accessibility towards socially just, empowering, and user-led design processes.

My work brings together architecture, disability studies, and community-based research to challenge traditional expert-led models of design and to foreground lived experience as a form of architectural knowledge.

Key Research Themes

• Inclusive and universal design in architecture

• Co-design and participatory research methodologies

• Learning (intellectual) disability and neurodiversity

• Accessibility, wellbeing, and spatial experience

• Community-led and practice-led architectural research

• Design governance, standards, and policy

• Inclusive housing, public, and commercial environments

Doctoral Research

My PhD research, Designing with, not for: Empowering people with a learning disability through inclusive architecture, developed a co-produced methodological framework for involving people with a learning disability meaningfully in architectural research and design.

Conducted in partnership with a third-sector advocacy organisation, the research employed creative and accessible methods—including walking interviews, visual tools, and collaborative workshops—to identify spatial barriers and co-develop inclusive design guidelines. The research is now referenced by the partner organisation as a model for inclusive and accessible research practice.

Collaboration and Funding Interests

I am keen to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects across architecture, education, health, disability studies, and digital technologies. My research is particularly suited to co-produced grant applications involving community partners, local authorities, and third-sector organisations.

Thesis

Designing With, Not For: Empowering People With A Learning Disability Through Inclusive Architecture

Historically, people with a learning disability were spoken of rather than spoken with. Consequently, building codes and regulations do not adequately address their needs, the architectural industry does not fully understand their accessibility requirements, and they are rarely active participants in architectural research. Thus, this thesis aimed to propose architectural insights that alleviate the barriers people with a learning disability face in the built environment. This was achieved by actively engaging people with a learning disability through a personalised co-design research process, characterised by various enabling measures. This inclusive methodology not only enriched the research but also provided a replicable framework for inclusive architectural research practices.
In this thesis, participatory action research served as the overall methodological framework, centring on the participants' perspectives. Within this framework, ethnography was utilised to offer deeper insights into participants’ lived experiences. The research design included four stages. The first was the Scoping stage, which aimed to understand how people with a learning disability use different buildings in Cardiff and collaboratively identify a case study through interviews (n=10). The second stage, Exploring, involved exploring the architectural barriers faced by people with a learning disability through walking interviews in a shopping centre in Cardiff (n=18). The third, Synthesising, focused on validating the identified barriers through focus groups (n=12). Finally, the Co-design stage involved proposing solutions through co-design workshops (n=14). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, integrating the researcher’s insights and reflections from employment in a self-advocacy organisation.
The originality of this research stems from two main contributions: firstly, the methodological framework, which enabled the active and inclusive participation of people with a learning disability in architectural research. These methodological insights included novel findings, such as the value of employing a disabled facilitator, collaboration and employment with a self-advocacy organisation in architectural research and the impact of fieldwork location. Secondly, the foundational architectural insights, which encompassed both intangible and tangible aspects, addressing the critical gap regarding the needs of people with a learning disability. The architectural insights also included novel insights, such as holistic accessibility awareness, the utilisation of coping mechanisms as a source of creativity, and the synergy between different architectural insights. Although this research may not immediately address the gap in regulations, it was complemented by several initiatives that may have a future impact, ultimately fostering more inclusive buildings.

Funding sources

Menatalla Kasem is funded by a PhD scholarship from The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research represented by The Egyptian Bureau for Cultural & Educational Affairs in London.

Teaching

Teaching Approach

My teaching is grounded in inclusive, student-centred, and research-led pedagogy. I aim to create learning environments that are accessible, supportive, and intellectually challenging, where students are encouraged to develop critical thinking, reflective practice, and independent research skills.

Drawing on my research in inclusive design and co-production, I embed principles of accessibility, participation, and ethical engagement within both design and research-based teaching. I am particularly attentive to supporting neurodivergent and disabled students through flexible teaching methods, clear communication, and varied assessment approaches.

Biography

Menna is an architectural researcher, educator, and inclusive design specialist whose work sits at the intersection of architecture, disability studies, and participatory research. Her research is driven by a commitment to designing with, not for, communities that are often excluded from architectural decision-making.

Her doctoral research at the Welsh School of Architecture focused on co-design methodologies with people with learning (intellectual) disabilities, developed through long-term collaboration with advocacy organisations and community partners. This work explores how inclusive, creative, and accessible research practices can challenge traditional hierarchies in architectural knowledge and contribute to more equitable built environments.

Alongside her research, Menna teaches across design studios and research-led modules, supporting students to engage critically with social responsibility, accessibility, and inclusion in architecture. She is actively involved in public engagement, staff training, and policy-informed work, including contributions to national inclusive design standards.

Her work is underpinned by a belief that architecture has a responsibility not only to respond to diverse needs, but to actively empower communities through collaboration, care, and shared authorship.

Honours and awards

The Welsh School of Architecture Exhibition Post-Graduate Research prize 2023.

Professional memberships

Student member at the University and College Union.

Member of the Egyptian Engineering Syndicate.

Academic positions

Speaking engagements

• Speaker at the Research with People with Learning Disability Workshop, Dec 2023. Presentation titled: Enabling Architectural Research: co-designing with people with learning disability.
• Presenting at the Architectures of Alterity; Body / Media / Space Symposium, Sep 2023. Presentation titled: Designing for Non-Normative Bodies: people with learning disability.
• Presented at “New York - Livable Cities” conference, June 2023. Paper titled: Towards More Inclusive Shopping Centres: participatory architecture research engaging people with learning disability.
• Presented at the 16th research conference of the Nordic Network on Disability Research, May 2023. Presentation titled: Co-Designing with People with Learning Disabilities: an architectural perspective.
• Moderated a round table titled: Disability Research: a multi-disciplinary perspective at the Architectural Humanities Research Association Research Student Symposium (AHRA) student symposium, April 2023.

Committees and reviewing

• A committee member in the Welsh School of Arcchitecture Ethical Committee.
• Part of the organizing committe of the Architectural Humanities Research Association Research Student Symposium (AHRA) 2023, social events lead.

Supervisors

Sam Clark

Reader (Associate Professor) & Director (Recruitment|Admissions)