What are some fun facts about bessie blount griffin
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Bessie Blount
Bessie Virginia Blount (1914-2009) led a remarkable life that began in Hickory, Virginia, where she was born on November 24, 1914. She made significant breakthroughs in assistive technologies and forensic science, becoming a role model for women and African Americans for her pioneering work.
Young Blount moved from Virginia to New Jersey to attend Panzar College of Physical Education and later, Union Junior College. It was her goal to become a physical therapist. She completed her studies in Chicago.
She became a practicing physical therapist, and, after World War II ended, many soldiers returned from the frontlines as amputees. As part of her physical therapy work, Blount taught veterans who did not have use of their hands and feet new ways to perform basic tasks. One major challenge for people in this condition is eating. It was important to many of them to be able to feed themselves in order to gain a feeling of independence and increase self-esteem.
Blount came up with a device that consisted of a tube that delivered individual bites of food to the patient
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Bessie Blount Griffin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bessie Blount Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1914-11-24)24 November 1914 Hickory, Virginia, US |
| Died | 30 December 2009(2009-12-30) (aged 95) |
| Alma mater | Panzer College, physical therapy; Community Kennedy Memorial Hospital, nursing |
| Known for | Assistive devices |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Inventor, Physical Therapist and Nurse |
Bessie Virginia Blount, also known as Bessie Blount Griffin, (November 24, 1914 – December 30, 2009) was a writer, nurse, physical therapist, inventor and forensic scientist.
Early life
Bessie Blount Griffin was born on November 24, 1914. A native of Virginia, Blount was born in the Hickory, Virginia community, in Princess Anne County (now known as the city of Chesapeake).
Education
Blount attended Diggs Chapel Elementary School in Hickory, Virginia, an educational facility built after the Civil War for the opportunity of educational advancement for African American children. In an interview with the Virginian, Griffin recalled that her school “didn’t have textbooks. [They] later
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It’s Black History Month, and we’re celebrating Black trailblazers in the disability rights community. Bessie Blount Griffin (1914-2009) was an innovator and disability advocate; she was primarily credited for making the first form of assistive technology for soldiers in World War II whose wounds prevented them from being able to feed themselves. With this technological advancement, she paved the way for more advancements in the future.
Even after her marriage, Bessie Blount Griffin continued to practice professionally as Bessie Blount. She was a licensed physiotherapist who greatly improved the lives of patients with disabilities at Bronx Hospital. There, she came up with creative solutions to help patients with significant physical impairments continue to communicate, including devices that allowed them to write with their mouths or feet. She was fascinated with handwriting and later began to study Graphology—the analysis of handwriting for behavioral profiling.
Bessie Blount would go on to obtain significant recognition in her field of Graphology. Being one of the
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