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STATE FUNDING MAKES DREAM COME TRUE

Worcester Man, Paralyzed At 11,

Moves Into Dream Home At 31

By CHRYSTAL SAVAGE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

A thrilled James Scofield moved into his new single-wide just before Christmas, thanks to ORHA and state funding. The home includes a ramp that allows him to drive his four-wheeler up to the door. (Ian Austin/ AllOTSEGO.com)

Paralyzed after a farming accident when he was 11, James Scofield, now 31, says he values patience, accessibility and independence above all else.

Now, he can enjoy all those things in his new, fully customized and accessible single-wide, set back off Mooney Road, framed by forest trees, courtesy of Otsego Rural Housing Assistance (ORHA).

The lifelong Worcester resident not only can enjoy hunting, fishing and working on cars with his 7-month-old, purebred chocolate lab Sky and 3-year-old pitbull-lab mix Zeus in his free time, but he is also self-sufficient.

Scofield takes care of himself without help, and assists friends in need, often plowing his neighbors’ driveways.

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