Changes coming to SNAP starting Oct. 1 [Video]

For Makenzie Gilkison, spelling is such a struggle that a word like rhinoceros might come out as "rineanswsaurs" or sarcastic as "srkastik."Related video above: Artificial intelligence opening doors for people with disabilitiesThe 14-year-old from suburban Indianapolis can sound out words, but her dyslexia makes the process so draining that she often struggles with comprehension. "I just assumed I was stupid," she recalled of her early grade school years.But assistive technology powered by artificial intelligence has helped her keep up with classmates. Last year, Makenzie was named to the National Junior Honor Society. She credits a customized AI-powered chatbot, a word prediction program and other tools that can read for her."I would have just probably given up if I didn't have them," she said.Artificial intelligence holds the promise of helping countless other students with a range of visual, speech, language and hearing impairments to execute tasks that come easily to others. Schools everywhere have been wrestling with how and where to incorporate AI, but many are fast-tracking applications for students with disabilities.Getting the latest technology into the hands of students with disabilities is a priority for the U.S. Education Department, which has told schools that they must consider whether students need tools like text-to-speech and alternative communication devices. New rules from the Department of Justice will also require schools and other government entities to make apps and online content accessible to those with disabilities.There is concern about how to ensure students using it including those with disabilities are still learning.Students can use artificial intelligence to summarize jumbled thoughts into an outline, summarize complicated passages or even translate Shakespeare into common English. And computer-generated voices that can read passages for visually impaired and dyslexic students are becoming less robotic and more natural."I'm seeing that a lot of students are kind of exploring on their own, almost feeling like they've found a cheat code in a video game," said Alexis Reid, an educational therapist in the Boston area who works with students with learning disabilities. But in her view, it is far from cheating: "We're meeting students where they are."Ben Snyder, a 14-year-old freshman from Larchmont, New York, who was recently diagnosed with a learning disability, has been increasingly using AI to help with homework."Sometimes in math, my teachers will explain a problem to me, but it just makes absolutely no sense," he said. "So if I plug that problem into AI, it'll give me multiple different ways of explaining how to do that."He likes a program called Question AI. Earlier in the day, he asked the program to help him write an outline for a book report a task he completed in 15 minutes that otherwise would have taken him an hour and a half because of his struggles with writing and organization. But he does think using AI to write the whole report crosses a line."That's just cheating," Ben said.Schools have been trying to balance the technology's benefits against the risk that it will do too much. If an education plan sets reading growth as a goal, the student needs to improve that skill. AI can't do it for them, said Mary Lawson, general counsel at the Council of the Great City Schools.But the technology can help level the playing field for students with disabilities, said Paul Sanft, director of a Minnesota-based center where families can try out different assistive technology tools and borrow devices."There are definitely going to be people who use some of these tools in nefarious ways. That's always going to happen," Sanft said. "But I don't think that's the biggest concern with people with disabilities, who are just trying to do something that they couldn't do before."Another risk is that AI will track students into less rigorous courses of study. And, because it is so good at identifying patterns, AI might be able to figure out a student has a disability. Having that disclosed by AI and not the student or their family could create ethical dilemmas, said Luis Prez, the disability and digital inclusion lead at CAST, formerly the Center for Applied Specialized Technology.Schools are using the technology to help students who struggle academically, even if they do not qualify for specialized education services. In Iowa, a new law requires students deemed not proficient about a quarter of them to get an individualized reading plan. As part of that effort, the state's education department spent $3 million on an AI-driven personalized tutoring program. When students struggle, a digital avatar intervenes.More AI tools are coming soon.The U.S. National Science Foundation is funding AI research and development. One firm is developing tools to help children with speech and language difficulties. Called the National AI Institute for Exceptional Education, it is headquartered at the University of Buffalo, which did pioneering work on handwriting recognition that helped the U.S. Postal Service save hundreds of millions of dollars by automating processing."We are able to solve the postal application with very high accuracy. When it comes to children's handwriting, we fail very badly," said Venu Govindaraju, director of the institute. He sees it as an area that needs more work, along with speech-to-text technology, which is not as good at understanding children's voices, particularly if there is a speech impediment.Sorting through the sheer number of programs developed by education technology companies can be a time-consuming challenge for schools. Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education, said the nonprofit launched an effort this fall to make it easier for districts to vet what they are buying and ensure it is accessible.Makenzie wishes some of the tools were easier to use. Sometimes, a feature will inexplicably be turned off, and she will be without it for a week while the tech team investigates. The challenges can be so cumbersome that some students resist the technology entirely.But Makenzie's mother, Nadine Gilkison, who works as a technology integration supervisor at Franklin Township Community School Corporation in Indiana, said she sees more promise than downside.In September, her district rolled out chatbots to help students who require specialized education in high school. She said teachers, who sometimes struggled to provide students the help they needed, became emotional when they heard about the program. Until now, students were reliant on someone to help them, unable to move ahead on their own."Now, we don't need to wait anymore," she said.___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A Triad cinema, fated to close its doors by the end of the year, says things have taken a turn for the better. In September, a/perture cinema in downtown Winston-Salem announced it found itself in a dire situation.Leigh Dyer, the new executive director of the nonprofit art house cinema, says the challenges came with a time crunch. The finances here were in critical need, Dyer said. They did some projections for the remainder of the year and determined that if a/perture didnt immediately raise $100,000, it was going to have to close in 2025. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking hereDyer says a/perture is not only a movie theater, but an educational center as well. She says the cinema often shows small independent and student films, invites guest speakers and hosts other community activities. Dyer says though a/perture functions differently from many big movie theater chains, it faced some of the same challenges.What weve seen nationally as a trend is a lot of movie theaters have not really bounced back from the pandemic, with people changing their habits and streaming in their living rooms, Dyer said. But what we offer is a communal experience and educational experience. Its a chance to enjoy a film with your fellow film lovers, and you cant get that at home.Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.In order to keep the film projectors rolling, a/perture launched a fundraising campaignand the community answered its call.We did receive a lot of support in the form of individual donations and grants, and theyre still coming in, Dyer said. Dyer says donors often cited the community-oriented mission of a/perture as the reason they didnt want to see it go. Its a really unique experience, and people just didnt want to lose it, she said. I think were part of what makes downtown Winston-Salem what it is.Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscastsWXII visited a/perture on Dec. 28, which is recognized as National Short Film Day. The cinema shows mainstream blockbusters, but is also known for showing short films. Dyer says the medium is a crucial part of keeping the film industry going. Thats the way film students get into the business, Dyer said. We have a streetside cinema that is always playing short films for free for the public, often submitted by students.Having surpassed its $100,000 fundraising goal, a/perture is safe for now, but Dyer said efforts to ensure the cinemas long-term future are continuing. Dyer says a/pertures fundraiser is ongoing. You can donate to a/perture cinema by clicking here.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates announced progress in the union's contract negotiations after a setback in court on Tuesday.

Project leaders say "exciting progress" has been made in construction of the starting point for the $4