Bailey’s House: Young girl with disabilities gets the home of her dreams

Bailey’s house is a home constructed for the specific needs of one disabled young woman and her family in Randolph County, West Virginia. Heather and Will Scott had a long list of needs when their daughter Bailey was born into their small but growing family. The younger of two children, Bailey was born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, with other underlying health issues that keep her confined to a wheel chair. At the time of Bailey’s arrival the family was living in a two-story townhome.

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So for the first 8 years of Bailey’s life, Heather and Will spent hours lifting and carrying her small frame up and down 14 stairs multiple times every day. They knew life could be better but did not know how to reach the dream of having a safe affordable home for Bailey and their son. That is when the Highland Community Builders and Woodlands Development Group stepped in to help.

With guidance from Highland Community Builders on what could be done for people with disabilities and with the knowledge and skills offered by the contractors at Woodlands Development Group. The Scott’s began to realize that a dream was coming true as they worked directly with both groups on every aspect of the planned home that Bailey needed.

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Woodlands Development Group contractors created a home for them in a new subdivision called Highland Meadows in Elkins, West Virginia that was developed to accommodate households with a variety of needs. The homes are built with adjustable floor plans so every owner can have their needs met. Heather and Will were able to make larger doorways, have a bathroom that could accommodate Bailey’s wheelchairs, have a ramp that made access to the house possible, and be energy efficient to save the family money on keeping Bailey warm in the winter and cool in the summer. With experts working on every aspect of this project it is no surprise even now 5 years later Heather Scott still says to every person she meets “It has been an amazing blessing that I found this group to help us in our journey. I can’t begin to thank them enough”.

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So today as Bailey reaches the age of 12 and is living comfortably in her home with her best friend “Ace” (the Great Dane) built by Woodlands Development Group. It is important to remember that businesses, banks and organizations can come together to make real dreams come true for people with disabilities.

Story courtesy of JoLynn Powers, AmeriCorps at Elkins Main Street.