Before the headset went on, Armand could complete exactly one step of the task correctly. One out of ten. He wasn’t struggling because he wasn’t trying. The task, shelving library books in assigned locations, involves reading, pattern recognition, and spatial navigation. Without guidance, it stayed just out of reach. Within a single session, Armand completed 80 percent of the task steps correctly and independently. By the fourth session, he was at 100 percent. Nineteen days after the intervention ended, with no headset, no coach, no prompting of any kind, he was still at 100 percent. Three other participants in the study followed a nearly identical arc. Researchers at Florida Atlantic University wanted to know whether augmented reality could change that equation. (CREDIT: Shutterstock) The 15% Problem Only about 15 percent of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities hold competitive, integrated employment. That number has remained stubbornly low despite decades of federal investment in supported employment programs and policy frameworks designed to open the workforce to people with significant disabilities. The gap isn’t for lack of …