Inspired by her observations of veterans and individuals with disabilities struggling to feed themselves, Bessie began developing self-feeding devices. She designed a device that allowed amputees to feed themselves independently using foot controls.

Bessie applied for a patent for her self-feeding device. While she was able to demonstrate the device to veterans, she was unable to sell the rights to the invention.

She developed and demonstrated a variety of other assistive devices aimed at improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, many of her inventions faced challenges in gaining widespread recognition and adoption.