Step inside the future: McKenzie County greenlights new immersive reality room
M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer
Immersive reality will soon become, well-a reality, at the Ag Expo. Thanks to some cutting-edge technology, high-tech workforce development and agricultural education will be accessible to all area residents, especially those with disabilities. The McKenzie County Board of Commissioners approved a proposal on February 3, to transform a storage room at the Ag Expo into a state-of-the-art “Immersive Reality Room.”
Ag Expo Director Chris Kubal presented the plan, noting that McKenzie County was selected as one of only eight sites in North Dakota to receive this technology through a partnership with Bismarck State College (BSC). The project is part of BSC’s “XR for VR” initiative, funded by a $9.9 million federal Disability Innovation Fund grant. The primary goal of the “XR for VR” project (Extended Reality for Vocational Rehabilitation) is to connect North Dakotans with disabilities to high-wage manufacturing careers. By using immersive technology, which projects 360-degree environments onto three walls and the floor, participants can experience a manufacturing floor or practice job skills without the sensory or physical barriers sometimes presented by traditional VR headsets.
While North Dakota leads much of the nation in labor participation, significant disparities remain for residents with disabilities. According to data from the Center for Research on Disability, the employment rate for the state’s non-disabled population of working age (18-64) stands at a robust 84.7 percent. In contrast, the employment rate for North Dakotans with disabilities in that same age bracket is just 56.5 percent. Although this figure is higher than the national average, it highlights a substantial gap in the local workforce, a gap that new immersive technologies at the Ag Expo aim to bridge by making high-wage careers more accessible and less intimidating for every citizen.
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