Supporter in the Spotlight: Martin Pistorius

Martin Pistorius, author of the International Bestseller, Ghost Boy, has supported 1Voice with IT solutions since 2011. He runs a web-development and IT consultancy IT-ELF, building, maintaining and hosting websites, managing domains, and supporting organisations through Microsoft 365 and other IT systems. He is also an accessibility and assistive technology specialist so brings both technical skill and a personal understanding of why accessible, reliable systems matter.

Make it stand out

How long have you been involved in supporting 1Voice?

I have been supporting 1Voice since 2011, when I began working on their website. From there, the relationship grew, taking in domain management, hosting, and more recently, Microsoft 365.

What do you do to support 1Voice?

It started supporting with supporting 1Voice to improve their website in 2011 and grew into me redesigning and developing a new one, which I maintained for a few years until they moved their website elsewhere. I still manage domain registration and renewal, and look after hosting. More recently, I have worked alongside 1Voice on their use of Microsoft 365, advising on and implementing changes to improve how their systems run.

How did you get involved?

Gaynor Dale, who coordinated events and branches for the charity, wrote to me in 2011 asking about refreshing their website: nothing too technical, just making it easier for people to join online, give securely, and see their branches properly represented. It was not a detailed brief, more trust that I would know what to do with it.

Why do you support 1Voice?

What started as a project has become something I care about. 1Voice supports people who use augmentative and alternative communication, and their families. I am an AAC user myself, so I know firsthand what it means to have a voice, and what it means when the people and systems around you make that possible. Using my own skills to support an organisation doing such wonderful work for others matters a great deal to me.

The work I do behind the scenes, keeping 1Voice's systems running, has never just been technical to me. I care about getting it right because I care about what 1Voice makes possible for its members. I have been part of this for a long time now, and I hope to continue supporting 1Voice for many more years to come.