Two lines are parallel if their slopes are equal. The slopes of UV and WX can be found using the following formulas:
```
Slope of UV = (5 - 1)/(8 - (-8)) = 4/16 = 1/4
Slope of WX = (y - 0)/(4 - (-4)) = y/8
```
Since UV and WX are parallel, their slopes must be equal. Therefore, we have the following equation:
```
y/8 = 1/4
```
Solving for y, we get y = 2.
Therefore, the value of y such that UV ∥ WX is 2.