Existing power dynamics, social injustices and structural barriers may exacerbate challenges related to support and advocacy, limiting some students' ability to articulate their needs effectively [59]. This disparity highlights an increasing need for alternative approaches to student advocacy that may empower students with disabilities in ways that current practices may not. While human disability support practitioners can play a crucial role in bridging gaps between students and institutions, these efforts are resource-intensive, relying on trained personnel, availability, and sustained institutional commitment. This study explores the feasibility and ethical implications of employing artificial intelligence (AI) and in particular social robots as tools for mediation and advocacy for disabled students in higher education. While the overarching focus regards social robots and LLMs, the study adopts a broader perspective of understanding the use of technology and AI in general for disabled students, to draw insights and identify patterns that can inform the design, implementation, and ethical considerations of AI-driven assistive technologies.

Today's young adults, including higher education students, are reporting increasingly high levels of depressive symptoms, stress, and loneliness, surpassing those of older cohorts [1, 4]. Studies link these mental health issues to academic pressures, future career concerns, achievement culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a lack of mental health resources [10, 11, 26]. On average, it takes about 7.8 days for college students to get an initial appointment with a mental health professional, but the following sessions could extend to several weeks due to a shortage of mental health services on campuses [20]. This shortage is reflected in the counselor-to-student ratio, which often falls short of the recommended 1:500 standard, with many colleges having only one counselor for every 1,000 to 1,500 students[7]. In addition to the shortage of mental health resources, college students are reluctant to seek traditional treatment for multiple reasons, such as financial cost, time constraints, and concerns about stigma[14],. These findings highlight the urgent need for innovative solutions, such as technology, to address mental health challenges in this demographic. Researchers are considering LLM-powered chatbots [16] for mental health support.

Despite analyst predictions that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry will be worth £49 billion globally in 2022, a new in-depth study by BT has uncovered a lack of awareness amongst UK students about the opportunity to pursue qualifications in AI related courses. Where almost three in five (59%) higher education students said they were unaware of AI courses at the time of choosing their course, over half (51%) revealed that they would consider studies centred around AI in the future, once they had understood and received more information about what the courses entail. The findings are revealed in BT's report, AI skills: Motivation & AI careers myths debunked, which was commissioned in partnership with Yonder Consultancy, to understand how to grow and retain AI talent in the UK. Identifying additional challenges connected to the attraction of talent to the UK AI industry, the study found that 38% of higher education students perceive a career in AI to be dull while 42% believe that AI qualifications wouldn't give them the career they are looking for. Despite these perception issues, 66% of higher education students believe the AI industry to be full of ambitious people, and almost three quarters (73%) believe it to be a career that would allow them to solve problems.