Wrongfully terminated after disclosing I’m autistic.

Hi everyone,

I’m Ana—a late-diagnosed autistic person—and I’m opening this fundraiser to help cover legal fees.

I developed PTSD after being dehumanized and wrongfully terminated when I disclosed my autism and raised concerns about workplace discrimination. Now, I’m unable to work in the career I built over 15 years.

I’ve hired a strong legal team and I’m committed to fighting for my rights—without signing an NDA just to protect the company’s image and silence what happened to me. Refusing to be silenced means more legal costs, and that’s why I’m asking for your support.

You can follow my journey and advocacy work on Instagram: @anabalbao

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My advocacy:

Over 70% of autistic adults in Canada are unemployed—that’s 30% higher than the global average. When we include underemployment, the number jumps to 80% (Redpath Centre, 2023).

My advocacy began after I was fired from one of those polished Canadian companies—multinational, glowing DEI campaigns, all the right checkboxes.

Behind the scenes, I faced retaliation, bullying, and discrimination.

And when I spoke up, I was fired in a cruel and dehumanizing way.

No “anti-discrimination” policy saved me.

I became part of that 70%.

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Why I won’t stay silent:

In Canada, NDAs are still being misused to silence people who speak up about workplace harm.

The Can’t Buy My Silence campaign, led by law professor Julie Macfarlane, is pushing to end this. NDAs were meant to protect intellectual property—not shield abuse.

But here’s how it usually goes:

1. Deny wrongdoing.

2. Paint the person who spoke up as the problem—then terminate them.

3. Offer a payout when they’re vulnerable, but only if they agree to silence.

4. Protect reputations, not people.

It’s legal. It’s strategic.

And it retraumatizes the ones harmed.

In Canada, NDAs are used in up to 95% of civil settlements (Macfarlane, Canadaland, 2021).

Globally, 46% of people who experienced workplace bullying signed NDAs—and 11% couldn’t even speak to researchers because their NDA forbade it (Speak Out Revolution, 2022).

This isn’t protection.

It’s erasure.

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⚖️ What’s changing—and why I need help:

In 2023, the Canadian Bar Association called for NDA reform.

Ontario’s Bill 124 aims to:

• Ban NDAs that hide misconduct

• Ensure NDAs are only used when survivors choose them

• Prevent companies from protecting perpetrators

But change takes time.

And legal support isn’t free.

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Why I’m speaking up:

Because silence protects power—not people.

Because this fight isn’t just mine—it’s for every autistic or marginalized worker who’s ever been pushed out and erased.

Because we deserve better.

If you believe in, please consider donating or sharingLet’s keep pushing

Thank you for standing with me.

—Ana

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Follow my advocacy work:

Instagram: @anabalbao

LinkedIn: Ana Balbao

TikTok: Ana Balbao