Sharon F. Cramer, professor of Exceptional Education and executive director of the SABRE Project, was named the recipient of the 2003 Burton Blatt Humanitarian Award by the Council for Exceptional Children - Division of Developmental Disabilities (CEC-DDD).

The Burton Blatt Humanitarian Award is given to honor a member who has exerted exceptional effort and made outstanding contributions to further the cause of persons with developmental disabilities. Cramer is the first woman to win the award and the second Buffalo State College professor to. Horace (Hank) Mann, distinguished service professor emeritus of Exceptional Education, won it in 1996. Cramer was cited for her contributions to establishing the DDD "Prism" series, a series of books that focuses on bridging the gap between research and practice in the field of special education; establishing the Dolly Gray Award that recognizes outstanding children's literature that provides quality portrayals of people with disabilities; and establishing New York's state-level unit, the Developmental Disabilities Subdivision.

Cramer is also president-elect of the Northeastern Regional Research Association, an affiliate of the American Educational Research Association that promotes educational research by providing a forum for the discussion of ideas, the interchange of information through publications and the recruitment of active members who are interested in educational research.