Celebrating Black History Month: Meet Bessie Blount

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This year, we want to highlight the contribution of an extraordinary woman who overcame odds to invent multiple devices that changed the disability community forever.

Bessie Blount was born in 1914 with two strikes against her. She was black. She was left-handed. 

Owing to cultural and social pressures, many left-handed children were forced to write and perform other activities with their right hands. Blount’s teacher rapped her on the knuckles for using the “wrong” hand. Blount learned to use her right hand and became ambidextrous. She loved learning and completed her training in nursing and physical therapy. 

While working with amputees during World War II, Blount realized the best way to support people with disabilities was to help them help themselves. She saw how frustrated they were at mealtime, so she built a device that helped them feed themselves. It had a rubber tube that dispensed liquefied food one mouthful at a time. And you controlled the flow by moving your jaw. 

She also invented a “portable receptacle support” for quadriplegics. It was a bowl attached to a neck brace. 

Another of Blount’s inventions is still seen at bedsides around the world. It’s the kidney-shaped container used for emesis (throwing up.) And if you’ve ever used one, you can thank her for that. 

Unfortunately, the Federal government showed little interest in any of her assistive devices and she ended up getting foreign patents.

Because Blount was able to convert from left to right handedness, she knew people could change. This inspired her to motivate people with disabilities to work towards overcoming their challenges. She was noted for her stern words of encouragement, “You’re not crippled, only crippled in your mind.” 

And her life was a testament to her words, “A black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind.”

HELEN salutes Blout’s commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities, as well as her serving as an inspiration for people to strive for excellence in overcoming obstacles.