Inventor of Electric Feeding Device & Champion of Independence
November 24, 1914 – December 30, 2009
🇺🇸 United StatesBessie Virginia Blount was born on November 24, 1914, in Hickory, Virginia, a small rural community where opportunities for African Americans—especially women—were severely limited by segregation and poverty. Born into a world that sought to confine her potential, Bessie refused to accept the limitations society tried to impose. From an early age, she demonstrated an inventive mind and an unwavering determination to help others.
Growing up in the Jim Crow South, Bessie faced constant reminders that the world considered her inferior because of her race and gender. Schools for Black children were underfunded and understaffed, resources were scarce, and the message from white society was clear: she should expect little from life. But Bessie's family instilled in her a different message—that education and hard work could open doors that seemed permanently closed.
As a child in segregated Virginia schools, Bessie was naturally left-handed, but her teachers—following the prejudices of the era—forced her to write with her right hand. The experience was frustrating and painful, but it taught Bessie an important lesson about adaptability and the need to find creative solutions when the standard approach doesn't work. This early experience with being forced to use a different hand would later inform her groundbreaking work helping amputees learn to feed themselves.
Determined to escape the limited opportunities of rural Virginia, Bessie moved north and pursued her education with fierce dedication. She attended Panzer College of Physical Education in New Jersey (now part of Montclair State University) and Union Junior College, where she studied physical therapy. At the time, physical therapy was an emerging field, and for a Black woman to enter it required exceptional determination and talent.
Bessie also studied nursing at both Chicago's Rehabilitation Institute and New York's Bronx Hospital, expanding her medical knowledge and skills. Her education gave her a comprehensive understanding of human anatomy, rehabilitation techniques, and the psychological challenges faced by patients recovering from traumatic injuries. This multidisciplinary training would prove invaluable in her later work.
During World War II and its aftermath, Bessie Blount worked as a physical therapist, specializing in treating wounded soldiers returning from the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. These were young men who had gone to war whole and healthy, and returned with devastating injuries—missing limbs, shattered bodies, and broken spirits. Many had lost arms in combat, and the loss of their limbs meant they could no longer perform basic tasks that most people took for granted: feeding themselves, dressing, or writing.
Working at veterans' hospitals, Bessie witnessed firsthand the profound psychological impact of losing independence. Soldiers who had once been self-sufficient warriors now required assistance with the most basic activities of daily living. Many of her patients could not feed themselves and had to rely on nurses or family members for every meal. The loss of this fundamental independence was devastating to their dignity and self-esteem.
Bessie noticed that mealtimes were particularly difficult. The hospital was understaffed, and nurses couldn't always be present when patients needed to eat. Patients had to wait for assistance, eating on someone else's schedule rather than their own. Some went hungry because help wasn't available when they needed it. The indignity of being unable to perform such a basic human function weighed heavily on these veterans who had sacrificed so much for their country.
Drawing on her childhood experience of being forced to adapt to using her non-dominant hand, Bessie began teaching her patients to feed themselves using their feet, their remaining hand, or other adaptations. She was creative and compassionate, refusing to accept that these men had to remain dependent for the rest of their lives. But she knew that creative workarounds were not enough—what was needed was a technological solution that could restore true independence.
In 1951, Bessie Blount invented a device that would change the lives of disabled veterans and countless others: an electric feeding device that allowed people without the use of their hands or arms to feed themselves independently. The device was elegantly simple yet revolutionary in its impact.
The feeding device worked by delivering food one bite at a time through a tube. When the user bit down on the tube, the device would dispense a single mouthful of food. The user could control the timing and pace of their meal, eating when they wanted and as much or as little as they desired. For the first time since their injuries, disabled veterans could feed themselves without assistance, reclaiming a fundamental aspect of human dignity and independence.
Bessie received a patent for her invention in 1951, a remarkable achievement for any inventor but particularly extraordinary for an African American woman in an era when discrimination was legal and widespread. The device was not just a technical innovation—it was an act of profound compassion, born from Bessie's deep empathy for the suffering of her patients and her refusal to accept that their loss of independence had to be permanent.
The impact on patients who used the device was transformative. Men who had been dependent on others for every meal could suddenly feed themselves. They could eat when they were hungry, control their portions, and enjoy their food without the embarrassment of being fed like children. The psychological benefits were immense—patients reported feeling more human, more independent, and more hopeful about their futures.
Despite the obvious value of her invention, Bessie Blount encountered resistance and indifference in the United States. American hospitals and the Veterans Administration showed little interest in adopting her feeding device. Some historians suggest that the lack of interest was rooted in racism and sexism—the medical establishment of the 1950s was unwilling to embrace an invention created by a Black woman, regardless of its merit.
Frustrated by the rejection in her own country, Bessie made a remarkable decision: she donated her invention to the French government for use in their military hospitals. France, which had suffered its own devastating losses in World War II and subsequent conflicts, recognized the value of her device and put it to use helping their disabled veterans. The irony was bitter—American soldiers benefited less from an American woman's invention than French soldiers did.
Bessie also invented a portable receptacle support, a basin that could be used by patients who were bedridden or had limited mobility. She received a patent for this device in 1951 as well. Throughout her career as an inventor, Bessie focused on practical solutions to real problems faced by disabled and elderly individuals, always centered on the goal of maximizing independence and preserving dignity.
Not content to rest on her achievements in physical therapy and invention, Bessie Blount embarked on an entirely new career in the 1960s and 1970s. She became a forensic scientist and document examiner, specializing in handwriting analysis and document authentication. Once again, she was breaking barriers—there were very few African American women in forensic science during this era.
Bessie's background in physical therapy, combined with her understanding of how people with disabilities adapt their motor skills, gave her unique insights into handwriting analysis. She could identify not just forgeries but also detect when documents had been written by people under duress, illness, or physical limitation. Her expertise was sought in legal cases, and she testified as an expert witness in court proceedings.
She worked on several high-profile cases and became known for her meticulous attention to detail and her ability to explain complex forensic concepts to juries. In her new field, as in physical therapy, Bessie Blount proved that intelligence, dedication, and compassion could overcome the barriers of prejudice and discrimination. She continued working in forensic science for decades, building a respected reputation and mentoring younger forensic scientists.
Throughout her long life, Bessie Blount Griffin—she took the surname Griffin from one of her marriages—remained committed to helping others and refusing to accept limitations. She lived through segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and into the 21st century, witnessing tremendous changes in American society while never losing sight of the values that drove her: compassion, innovation, and a commitment to human dignity.
Bessie Blount Griffin died on December 30, 2009, in Newfield, New Jersey, at the age of 95. She lived long enough to see greater recognition for the contributions of African American inventors and scientists, though full acknowledgment of her pioneering work remained elusive even at her death. Today, historians of technology and disability rights activists recognize her as a pioneer in assistive technology, a field that has exploded in importance and sophistication but which she helped create with her compassionate innovations decades ago.
Bessie Blount Griffin's inventions restored independence and dignity to disabled veterans and patients worldwide, pioneering the field of assistive technology decades before it became mainstream.
Bessie Blount Griffin's legacy is a testament to the power of compassion to drive innovation. She didn't invent her feeding device to make money or win fame—she created it because she couldn't bear to see her patients suffer the indignity of being unable to feed themselves. Her inventions emerged from empathy, from truly seeing the humanity in the disabled veterans she served and refusing to accept that their loss of independence had to be permanent.
Her work pioneered the field of assistive technology decades before it became a recognized discipline. Today, the assistive technology industry is worth billions of dollars and encompasses everything from sophisticated prosthetic limbs to voice-activated computers. Modern feeding devices for disabled individuals owe a debt to Bessie's pioneering work in the 1950s, when she proved that technology could restore independence to people with physical limitations.
The fact that the United States initially rejected her invention while France embraced it reflects the tragic impact of racism and sexism on scientific progress. How many other innovations by women and people of color were dismissed or stolen? How much further might medical technology have advanced if the contributions of all inventors had been valued equally? Bessie's story reminds us that discrimination doesn't just harm individuals—it holds back entire societies by squandering brilliant minds and innovative ideas.
Her second career in forensic science demonstrated that brilliant minds don't confine themselves to a single field. Bessie brought the same creativity, attention to detail, and commitment to helping others to her forensic work as she had to physical therapy. She proved that African American women could excel in any field they chose, despite the barriers placed before them.
Today, Bessie Blount Griffin is recognized as a pioneer in both assistive technology and forensic science. Her inventions continue to influence modern medical devices, and her story inspires young people—especially young women of color—to pursue careers in STEM fields. She proved that the most powerful innovations come not from a desire for profit or prestige, but from genuine compassion for human suffering and a determination to make the world more just and accessible for all.