Jane Elizabeth Bennett
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Postgraduate Research Student
Areas of interest
Built Environment, Universal Design, Autism, Research Ethics, Creative Research Methods
Postgraduate supervision
Dr Carolina Vasilikou, Manchester School of Architecture
Dr Izabela Wieczorek, School of the Built Environment
Professor Kathy Pain, Henley Business School
Research centres and groups
Urban Living Research Group
Research projects
How can autistic women’s complex embodied experience of the built environment be codified through a perceptual model of way finding?
How do autistic women appropriate public space? Does the design of the built environment impact access? How can researchers adequately capture and analyse the autistic female experiences of external architecture? My PhD engages with these three key questions. Funded by SeNSS, this project is located within the Department of Architecture with a critical focus on Human Geography. The literature suggests that the urban landscapes may negatively impact autistic women's mental health, leaving them vulnerable to isolation and exclusion. In response, my research asks, ‘How can autistic women’s complex embodied experience of the built environment be codified through a perceptual model of wayfinding?
Published paper
‘Auto-photography and Collaborative Drawing: How Can Autistic Researchers Foster Inclusion Through Method Selection and Development to Investigate the Design of the Built Environment?’