Android tablet interface for the physically disabled?

I would like to make an interface for an Android tablet that would work for someone with little to no physical dexterity or speech ability.

Is it possible to interface a joystick to control the Android device via Bluetooth? By "control", I mean the entire operating system - selecting an app, launching it, controlling the menus, etc. I want to give the user control over the whole thing, not just a specific app. On a PC, this can be accomplished by creating a generic USB HID interface and an arcade joystick to move the mouse over the screen and click on things.

Is it possible to do something like that in Android?

It seems that remote control from a PC is actually possible, but requires the phone to be rooted. Is there any way to do this without modifying the phone?

Ideally I'd like to install my simple app and control the unit remotely (through a PC would be fine, but direct control through Bluetooth would be better).

Solution 1:

There are new options on the market now - TECLA creates a switch enabled interface that allows the user to use one switch (or more) to access the entire Android system, and it is quite effective.